Remembering the Past
by DragonStorm85
Summary: AU. Many view me as an endless source of evil: an insane, restless soul that finds pleasure in the grief of others. But they must know the truth. All must know the source of my madness, the reason for my hate...the cause of my pain. HaoOC
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **While watching the Shaman King series unfold I couldn't help but feel bad for Hao (Zeke in the American version). In episode 28 where the gang had just met Lyserg and were trying to get to the second round of the Shaman Tournament (Patch Village), Yoh said to Amidamaru that "I can't forgive what he's done, but he Zeke has to have his reasons, right," explaining how he felt about Hao's actions. And so that's where I found my inspiration for this story. It's probably not very consistent but I thought it made some kind of sense when I thought of it. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

Many view me as an endless source of evil; an insane, restless soul that finds pleasure in the grief of others. Many dedicated their lives in keeping me dead. But they don't know my purpose. There was a reason that I began my destruction of the world; a reason why I despise humans beyond compare. Something happened to me to make me the way I am. No one knows the secret that I hold in my past; no one cares to know. They would rather see me as the cold, heartless person that stood before them with the blood of thousands on my hands. But they must know the truth. All must know the source of my madness, the reason for my hate…the cause of my pain.

-#-#-#-

It began about a thousand years ago in a small village not far from where I've spent most of my days in this lifetime. I find it amusing that even after a century of struggle and two lifetimes of failure, I still remember this place. The village is gone, now, replaced by concrete buildings and streets of the human city. But the memories that reside with it still remain. At least I can find some comfort in that. And then there are the memories that haunt me; the ones that will always haunt me. It is with them that my journey began.

I was a young boy, just reaching the age of manhood. My mother was teaching me the ways of the Shamans, people who could see spirits, while my father trained me to be a samurai warrior. While my father seemed pleased with my progress and proud of my achievements at such a young age my mother never seemed surprised of my strength and skill.

That was the primary difference between my parents. My father held a traditional view of life, one where Shamans ignored their gifts to pursue realistic ambitions. My mother on the other hand only wished for me to be happy whatever path I chose for myself. She always believed that I was destined for greatness no matter what I decided; always saying that I was special. She never knew how right she was…or how dangerous that knowledge would be.

Fore I had been born with a special gift of empathic powers. To put it simply, I could sense a person's emotions, thoughts, and most importantly, their intentions. The only one who knew about it was my mother and through her help, I had learned to control it so that I wouldn't go insane from the intruding thoughts of others. She never told my father, fearing that it would put an even bigger gap in our relationship.

My Shaman training as well as keeping up with my father's training took up much of my time. Mastering my "gift" only took up more of my day and left me little time to find companionship with the village children, which was fine with me. As far as they were concern, I found them uninteresting and feeble. They seemed small-minded in my opinion and knew nothing of what resided outside their little lives.

But at the same time, I was never interested in becoming the next Shaman King or becoming a samurai. I only trained hard to make my father proud of me, though a lot of good that was, and to please my mother. All those long solitary hours of practice and training did little to motivate me or give me a purpose. It wasn't until she came to the village that I finally saw my true potential…and found a true friend. How amusing it was that our meeting was only by pure luck…or perhaps it was fate?


	2. Ch 1

**Author's Note: **While watching the Shaman King series unfold I couldn't help but feel bad for Hao (Zeke in the American version). In episode 28 where the gang had just met Lyserg and were trying to get to the second round of the Shaman Tournament (Patch Village), Yoh said to Amidamaru that "I can't forgive what he's done, but he Zeke has to have his reasons, right," explaining how he felt about Hao's actions. And so that's where I found my inspiration for this story. It's probably not very consistent but I thought it made some kind of sense when I thought of it. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

It was a crisp, cool day, years before the Shaman Tournament would begin again. The autumn was coming to a close and the final harvests were almost complete. I had reached the ripe age of 15 and I was able to undergo a series of challenges to test my strength as a Shaman. I had already completed my first challenge and mastered the element of Metal, thanks to my father's extensive training.

My father never acknowledged that accomplishment, though, as he was more concerned with meeting with an old friend of whom he hadn't seen for a long time. From what I could understand, my father's friend was a very mysterious trader, specializing in herbs from a remote part of China. I thought it strange that she would have such relations since China seemed unconcerned with the rest of the world at the time. But then again my father did always say that Mei Tao was an unusual woman.

She was making a business trip to Japan to sell her exotic goods and herbs and decided to pay my father a long overdue visit. From what I've heard from the village women, her goods were unlike any in the entire world. And so I was curious as how she came to know my father, a simple farmer from a remote village in Japan.

A small precession signaled her arrival. I was busy in the field preparing for the harvest when I saw the small group approaching down the road. Quickly I ran to tell my father. By the time we walked out of our little home, everyone in the village was already gathering around our new visitors. All seemed amazed by the bright fabrics and beautiful fineries of the small group of travelers.

"Where is she?" I heard my father say to himself.

At the time, I knew nothing of my father's planned reunion with Mei Tao, and so, was curious as to what he was going on about. But before I could ask my father my burning question, a woman appeared out of a litter covered in the finest and most elegant Chinese garb that I had ever seen, though in truth I had not seen much of the Chinese fashion.

"Mei!" my father shouted with joy.

_Still as beautiful as always_, my father thought.

I was shocked at my father's declaration, even if it was in the confines of his own thoughts. I was even more shocked to hear such tremendous delight in my father's voice when he called her name. My father was not the type to show much emotion and yet, this woman could bring such things from my father by her mere presence.

_Who was this woman?_, I thought to myself.

His greeting was returned by a small, yet bright, smile from the woman whom I assumed was Mei. Though she did not possess the Japanese beauty that I more preferred and was accustomed to, I found that she was still more attractive than the majority of the women in the village (though I would never say so).

Exiting the litter behind her was a young lady, no younger than me, dressed in nothing but a simple black robe with silver trim. She seemed quite out of place among the fine silks and embroidery of those around her, more interested in the village than the decorative items she sold. She, nervously, stayed close to Mei, almost hiding behind her delicate form.

_I wonder who she is?_, I thought curiously.

"It's good to see you again, Han," Mei said to my father, "It's been so long."

"Yes, it has," my father said.Then gesturing to me, "This is my son, Hao."

"Welcome to our village, Mistress Tao" I said with a respectable bow, putting on my usual, kind front.

I don't know what it was, but any kind of human contact irritated me. The only person I seemed to be able to tolerate was my mother. She was the only one who understood and respected my yearning for solitude and isolation from society. But my mother always taught me to respect my elders and so I was reduced to always smiling to others when I would much rather leave without even acknowledging their presence.

"He seems so much like you when you were his age, Han" Mei chuckled.

"Please, do not encourage him," my father joked.

"I'm sure he will grow up to be a respectable man," Mei reassured my father. Then gesturing to the girl she said, "This is my daughter, Kiemi."

_Daughter?_, I thought in alarm.

Without a word, the girl named Kiemi stepped out from behind her mother and bowed, dutifully, at the introduction. There was something about her that didn't seem quite right. That was when I saw her eyes. Unlike the usual Chinese girl with raven dark hair, she had the strangest eyes that I had ever seen, ice blue in appearance. They almost seemed cat-like in a way.

_How strange_, I thought.

"You must forgive her," Mei said, "She is shy around strangers."

"Well, I think we can fix that," my father said with a smile; another thing my father never did often.

_What spell does this woman have on my father?_, I asked myself as we proceeded into the house, _And what is this force that I'm sensing from her daughter?_

"Mei, it gives me great honor to introduce you to my wife, Haruna," my father said giving my mother a little squeeze of affection.

"It is nice to finally meet you," Mei said with a bow, "Han has told me so much about you."

"He has said much about you as well," my mother replied with a smile.

_He has,_ I thought, _Why have I heard nothing of this woman?_

"Good things I hope," Mei joked.

They proceeded in discussing things that were of no interest to me. And from the looks of it, Kiemi seemed just as uninterested in their conversation as I was. She managed to entertain herself with something by the window while I was trying, desperately, to stay awake; something that didn't go unnoticed by my mother.

"It would seem that our children find our past dull," my mother commented when she noticed that I was nearly asleep.

"They are young and shouldn't be kept inside listening to old stories," Mei said with an understanding smile, "Please, go outside and enjoy the day."

With that, I nearly jumped out of my seat trying to get to the door. But my mother's voice stopped me from crashing through our front door.

"Hao, take Kiemi with you," my mother's kind voice said, "Perhaps a walk through the forest would do you both some good."

The thought of having to endure her eternal silence almost brought me to tears. But never one to disobey or upset my mother, I agreed. Kiemi also seemed hesitant follow me outside.

"It's alright dear," Mei assured her daughter, "Hao seems like a nice boy."

With a last look to her mother, Kiemi followed me out of the house while I tried my best not to show my distaste towards my unwanted company. As we left the house, I looked up as I stretched my stiff muscles. The sun was high in the sky and it was just about time for the midday meal. Looking at Kiemi, I thought that she might like something to eat as well.

_Mother always told me to be polite_, I thought.

"Are you hungry?" I graciously asked her. She merely nodded at my question. Frustrated at her lack of communication with me, I went to get something for the both of us to eat while muttering angry words under my breath.

_The least she could do is respond to me like a civil person instead of a mindless drone_, I fumed.

But by the time I returned with our meal, my anger had subsided and I could tolerate her silence once again. When I held out the sweet bun I had gotten her, she smiled in thanks and politely took it.

_She's consistent, I'll give her that_, I thought to myself, a bit cheerfully, _Well, there's nothing I like more than a challenge._


	3. Ch 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

I was determined to get Kiemi to speak to me before the day was done. And seeing her reluctance to talk at all, it seemed like it was going to be the last thing I did. As I mused about my "master plan" of getting Kiemi to speak, she quietly finished her sweet bun and smiled with content.

"So, you're from China?" I asked her casually. She nodded with a sweet smile.

"What part?" I asked, realizing I had to ask questions that couldn't be answered by a simple "yes" or "no". Unexpectedly, Kiemi's arm shot out from where it was in her lap, pointing to the North as an answer.

_She's smart_, I realized, _This might be harder than I thought._

"Um," I was running out of questions and patience, "What do you like to do?"

As a response, she just sighed and shrugged her shoulders, looking at me. The ice blue tint in her eyes gave her an air of innocence.

"Well, I guess this is pointless," I sighed mostly to myself in frustration.

With that remark, I stormed off into the forest towards my training ground in hopes of putting my irritation to good use. Kiemi grinned at my frustration and decided to follow me; maybe out of curiosity, most likely out of amusement.

The field where I had left all my training supplies was perfectly in tact when I arrived. Kiemi was only a few steps behind me and looked around in astonishment at what she saw. She seemed extremely interested in the various weapons I had scattered around the area. That one fact shocked me to no end. All the women that I knew, with the exception of my mother, tended to shy away from such devices. But Kiemi seemed almost at home near them.

"Are these yours?" Kiemi asked as she picked up one of my daggers, breaking the silence of the forest.

Her voice was so soft that I almost didn't hear it. It was as if she thought projecting her voice any louder would bring destruction to the world. But when it finally registered in my mind that she was actually speaking and asking me a question, I turned to her in utter shock.

"…Yes," I replied hesitantly, unsure with how long this privilege would last me.

"Hm," she said with the smallest of grins, "It reminds me of home."

_Of all things, I never would have thought weapons would get her to talk_, I thought with amusement, _I can see that there is more to her than meets the eye._

Not wanting to let my chance pass me by, I cleared my throat and asked her, "Why did you wait until now to talk?"

"Nothing interested me enough to talk about until now," she replied as she examined my equipment.

"And weapons interest you?" I asked, becoming more and more curious about her with each passing minute.

"Yes, of course, as it should all Shamans," she replied, "It's the best tool to use as a medium."

I was taken off guard with that response. The way she spoke, she clearly knew a great deal about Shamans. That in turn meant that she knew about the upcoming tournament that would occur in a few years. But how? I knew I couldn't ask her. It took nearly the entire day to get her to say a complete sentence.

_Perhaps her mind can give me some answers_, I thought to myself.

But when I reached out to scratch the surface of her mind and read her thoughts, I found it blank. There was nothing there. It was as if I was standing alone in the clearing and reaching out to thin air.

_How could that be?_, I questioned.

Looking over at Kiemi as she inspected my bow, I began to see her in a new and more interesting light.

_She must possess great talents to be able to do that_, I thought to myself.

The most experienced person couldn't hide all their thoughts from me. Even my mother could not keep me from at least grazing the surface of her mind and she was one of the most powerful Shamans I knew.

"Do you think me a fool as to leave my mind unguarded around an empath?" Kiemi asked, never taking her eyes away from whatever she was inspecting.

"How…?" I began, not knowing what I wanted to ask first.

"Haven't you figured it out, yet?" Kiemi asked with a playful laugh, "I'm a Shaman, just as you are."

I couldn't believe my ears. She was a Shaman? The shock of the news rendered me speechless for a good while, which didn't seem to bother Kiemi much, who was still examining my weapons. Watching her check my equipment, I could see that she had been given some sort of Shaman training. But that still didn't explain why I couldn't read her like I could everyone else.

"It's because I've spent most of my training, in keeping my thoughts hidden," she replied to my unasked question.

"What did you say?" I asked, shock forever on my face.

"It's what you were wondering, wasn't it?" Kiemi asked as if her knowing what I was thinking was nothing special, "I could see the question in your eyes."

"Yes, I was thinking that," I said a bit more calmly than how I felt, "But how is it possible that you could keep all of your thoughts from me?"

"There are a lot of empaths in the world," Kiemi explained, "And my mother always said that a person's greatest sanctuary was their mind."

"So, she trained you to keep your thoughts hidden?" I asked curiously.

"In a word, yes," Kiemi replied as she strung my bow and fitted an arrow.

"Did your mother know of my power?" I questioned.

"No," Kiemi replied pulling the arrow back on the bowstring, "At least not until she felt you trying to read her mind."

And with that, she fired the arrow at a target that I had set up a hundred yards away and hit it with perfect accuracy. Even I had trouble hitting that target at this distance. The only reason I set up the target was to have a goal that I could strive to achieve.

"Hm," Kiemi said with disappointment, "I let my finger hang on the string too long."

"How does your mother know my father?" I asked as I stood in awe of her indifference to her accomplishment.

"I don't know," Kiemi replied somberly as she retrieved the arrow, "Mother never liked to talk about her past…which makes me wonder sometimes."

"About what?" I asked.

"What she's hiding from me," Kiemi replied.

"I see," I said, understanding her meaning perfectly.

"What about you?" Kiemi asked curiously, "Has your father told you nothing of his past either?"

"My father does not like speaking of his past," I explained to her, "In fact, he doesn't like speaking to me at all."

"Well," Kiemi said, her voice softening, "At least he is training you to be a Shaman."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, my mother is the one who trains me on Shamatic matters" I corrected her, "The only training my father is concerned with is that of a samurai warrior."

"That's good," Kiemi said, looking at it in a positive way, "Those skills will help you with your future Shaman battles."

"I suppose that's something," I said, not doing well to hide my bitterness.

"Be careful, Hao," Kiemi warned, "Bitterness will bring you nothing but trouble and disappointment."

"I think it's too late for disappointment," I said sarcastically.

A sigh from Kiemi signaled the beginning of a long moment of silence between the two of us. It didn't seem to bother Kiemi much. She seemed quite accustomed to silence. In fact, she almost looked at home in the quiet of the woods. It was then that I remembered why I chose such a secluded place for my training area. It kept me away from all those villagers who I found were a waste of my time and helped me to focus on perfecting my skills.

"How long have you been training for the Shaman Tournament?" I asked, finally finding my voice again.

"Almost from the day I was born," Kiemi replied without hesitation, "Mother wanted me to be strong...she knew that Shamans would target me because I was a woman."

"So you must be skilled?" I asked, interested in her reply.

"Skilled enough," she replied with her usual air of mystery.

"Not as skilled as me," I boasted with pride, "I have managed to master the element of Metal."

"Congratulations to you on you achievement," Kiemi said cheerfully as she shifted through my equipment again.

As she picked up one of my bags that contained my swords, a book fell out and landed on the ground with a light thud. Realizing what it was I rushed to pick it up, but Kiemi reached it before I did.

"What's this?" she asked curiously as she examined the binding.

"It's something that is none of you concern," I snapped at her.

"It was just a question," Kiemi said, looking a bit offended by my reply.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "But it is mine and I'd like it back."

"What is it?" Kiemi asked as she handed the book to me.

"It sort of a journal," I replied, "I use it to write of my training."

"You mean like a tome?" Kiemi asked.

"I suppose so," I said, "I wrote a lot of things when I mastered my first element and I'd rather not have anyone read it just yet."

"Understandable," Kiemi said with a smile, "We all have things we like to keep private."

"Thank you for understanding," I said, smiling back.

"So, you mastered the element of Metal?" Kiemi asked mischievously, quickly changing the subject, "That means you are skilled with a sword?"

"Of course," I spat out in mock arrogance.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mind a spar?" the Chinese maiden asked with all the innocence in the world.

"Was that a challenge?" I asked, mocking her innocence when deep down I already knew the answer.

"What does it sound like to you?" Kiemi asked in reply, as she took off her heavy outer shirt to reveal a thinner undershirt.

She was as eager to begin as I was. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would ever find myself in such a situation. To find myself face to face with a powerful female Shaman was almost inconceivable, but to consider sparing with one was astonishing. And what I found most disturbing was that I was excited at the whole prospect.

TBC


	4. Ch 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

"Unbelievable," I commented after several fierce battles, "No one has been able to last that long against me."

Though her lack of clothing was a little distracting, her skill was extraordinary, unlike anything I had ever seen. The way we moved together was pure poetry in motion. It was as if we were one, neither able to land a clear blow on the other. The two of us had practically collapsed to the ground out of pure exhaustion afterwards, though her breathing was more even and steady than mine was.

"My mother is a good teacher," Kiemi said, "Besides, you rely too much on your empathic abilities."

"Are you questioning my Shaman skills?" I asked a bit offended.

"No, I'm questioning your methods of fighting," Kiemi retorted with annoyance, "You can't always rely on your powers."

"And why not?" I asked loving the aggravation I was giving her.

"Because relying on that one skill will lead to your downfall," Kiemi said sternly, "It is a weakness."

"What do you mean?" I asked confused at her concern.

"You do not know how long your powers will last you," Kiemi replied with the softest of voices, "Nothing can last forever, Hao."

She sounded so somber and sad that I could find no words to comfort her. The two of us just sat there on the ground, neither knowing what else to say. There was nothing else to say. I attempted comfort her, but when I reached out my hand to touch her bare shoulder, I stopped. I could feel a light blush on my cheeks as my hand retreated to my side.

Time passed as the day wore on and still neither of us moved or spoke. It seemed like we were there for hours like statues in the silence. But just as the sun was beginning to set, we were pulled from our thoughts by her mother's melodic voice.

"Kiemi," Mei called to her daughter, "It's time for the evening meal."

"Coming mother," Kiemi said automatically as she gracefully put on her outer shirt once again.

Slowly getting up from where she sat, Kiemi glanced over to me with a little smile and so much sadness in her eyes. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but before I had the chance, she was gone, on her way back to the house.

_I hope she stays long enough for me to find out what that was about_, I thought to myself as I made my way back to the house as well.

-#-#-#-

And indeed, Kiemi and her mother stayed in the village with us for a long time; longer than they had anticipated. The winter had settled in during their say and the snow made it nearly impossible for them to travel far in such weather, forcing Kiemi and her mother to stay with us until the first thaw of spring. Even when spring came, they stayed saying that there were good herbs in the area and that the best time to harvest them was during the spring and early summer months.

Mei Tao didn't seem to mind this much. She was confident that her business could survive with her long absence and had sent messages to her representatives in China to inform them of their prolonged stay in Japan.

All the while, Kiemi had remained in her quiet demeanor around the others unless the topic was of some interest to her. I was the only one in the village she seemed to show any interest in when it came to intelligent conversation though, which suited me fine because I returned the interest.

We would spend hours talking about things that were of little concern to other people, mainly concerning our Shaman training. Many times we would start at the break of day and not end until first starlight. I spent almost every waking hour with her. I would almost say that we became friends during those long winter months, though our verbal taunts and banter would make one think otherwise.

-#-#-#-

"Hurry up," I said to Kiemi on our way back from picking the last of the harvest, "Mother wanted these by dinner."

"Hurry up?" Kiemi said with confused amusement, "This, from the boy who couldn't even out race me the other day?"

"You got lucky," I retorted playfully, "If that elder woman wasn't in the way I would have beaten you."

"I highly doubt that," Kiemi said calmly, "But since you seem to have this desirable need to prove yourself better than me, we'll have another race…NOW!"

With that, she pushed me off the road and was off like a shot towards the house with all that she could carry leaving me dumbfounded on the road until my mind caught up to her challenge.

"Hey, no fair!" I shouted as my feet quickened their pace to match hers.

"Everything is fair when it comes to being a Shaman," Kiemi shouted back at me over her shoulder.

-#-#-#-

Occasionally we would train as well, each helping the other on their weaknesses and together we became stronger, though most of the time I think she was the one doing all the teaching. I had learned to, occasionally, not rely on my empathic powers during our spars and found joy in my occasional wins against her. But still it seemed that she was preparing me for something.

-#-#-#-

"You were trying to read my thoughts again," Kiemi said with a swift smack upside my head with the stick she was holding.

"No I wasn't," I retorted, rubbing the back of my head.

"Don't lie to me, Hao," Kiemi threatened, "I'll make you live to regret it."

"Are you threatening me?" I asked more amused than intimidated.

"What does it sound like?" Kiemi snapped playfully, "Don't tell me I hit you one too many times over the head."

"No, just a distraction," I said as I made my attack, "For…THIS!"

But she wasn't fooled. In fact, she seemed to anticipate the strike. The blow never landed its mark. Instead, the stick that I was holding was tossed aside while the one that resided in Kiemi's hands were pressed firmly against my neck.

"You almost had me…if it weren't for the fact that you made it too obvious," Kiemi said as she walked away, "Don't warn your enemies of an attack, just do it."

Seeing my final chance to prove what I had learned that day, I grabbed her legs causing her to fall forward into the snow. While she struggled to get up, I grabbed my fallen "weapon" and stood over her small frame, quickly holding the stick to her exposed neck.

"Like that?" I asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Kiemi replied with pride, "Exactly like that."

And with the stick still in her hands, it was quickly brought it up so that it was pressed against my stomach.

"But you still need to learn how to watch your opponent," Kiemi said, the smile disappearing from her face, "You would be dead in a real battle."

"You take all this too seriously," I said as we threw the sticks on the ground and walked back to the house, "Why do you always talk of death in battle?"

"Because not all of your opponents will be as merciful as me," Kiemi said coldly, "Many Shamans have died competing in the Tournament."

TBC


	5. Ch 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

It was times like those when she spoke so seriously about battling that made me think about what she said that day in the clearing. I knew that she was hiding something from me and, at first, I felt that I had no right to ask about it. However, as the days rolled by, I saw the grief in her eyes grow with every passing moment, always hidden behind her innocent smile. I felt that my only course of action was to question her about it and see if there was anything I could do. Because it pained me every time to see such a free spirited girl like her smiling, knowing that it was nothing more but a mask for others to see.

-#-#-#-

"You seem distracted today," Kiemi said after a short practice one day, "Is there something on your mind?"

"Actually there is," I replied, "But it's going to upset you."

"Everything you say upsets me," Kiemi pointed out with a laugh.

"I'm afraid this is quite different," I said gravely.

"You're serious," Kiemi realized, growing serious as well, "What is it?"

"Why are you so sad when we train?" I questioned, fearing I would soon lose my courage.

"Who said I was sad?" Kiemi asked with a smile, putting on her mask again in an attempt to assure me.

"That may fool others, but I know you too well," I said, smile still on my face, "Everyday I see the sadness in your eyes, and it pains me."

With a sigh, Kiemi dropped her mask and all was silent. The two of us sat there on the edge of the field, neither daring to look at the other.

"Tell me what troubles you," I said softly, hoping that it would make her more willing to talk, "Maybe I can help."

"No one can help," Kiemi said gravely with a sigh, "It's too late to do anything."

"I don't understand," I stated.

"I was hoping that I would never have to tell anyone this," she said as she continued to look at the ground.

"Tell anyone what?" I questioned.

"...Years ago, there was a boy named Rin in the village where I grew up," Kiemi began to explain, "He was a Shaman as well; my best and only friend."

"What about him?" I asked seeming a little too impatient.

"Because of what his family did, they had many enemies," Kiemi continued, "So that meant that Rin was a constant target."

"What did the family do?" I asked curiously.

"They were a family of Shaman Assassins for the Chinese Imperial Army," Kiemi explained, "Whenever the Emperor needed to get rid of someone, Rin's family were the ones he turned to."

At this, Kiemi paused as if having difficulty reliving the memories. She unconsciously started to nervously rub her hands together as if to steady and calm her mind.

"Go on," I encouraged, placing my hands over her own.

"One day, Rin was walking home from school when he was confronted by the associates of one if his family's victims," Kiemi resumed.

"What happened?" I asked inquisitively, not liking at all where this was going.

"He fought them, of course, what else could he do?" Kiemi replied, "But there were too many of them."

"I don't understand," I began to say, "Didn't he run whe- ?"

"It was too late for him to run, they had him surrounded before he realized what they were planning to do," Kiemi interrupted with tears on the edges of her lashes, refusing to let them fall freely, "There was no warning, and no one to help him."

"…What happened to him?" I questioned fearfully.

"His Guardian Spirit didn't reach the family home in time," Kiemi simply replied, "By the time he did…it was too late to save him."

"How do you know this?" I asked, too horrified to think straight.

"Because, Hao," Kiemi responded mournfully, "He was my brother."

"Your brother?" I asked in astonishment.

"My twin," Kiemi explained with a pathetic laugh, "Two minutes older than me."

"Kiemi, I am so sorry," I said sympathetically, "I did not mean to -"

"It's all my fault," Kiemi finished with little emotion.

"No, no it wasn't," I said trying to convince her, "There was no way you could have stopped that."

"You don't understand, Hao," Kiemi said, pain etched in her voice, "He was trying to protect me."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"We were walking home from school together when they showed up," she explained, "He fought them to protect me."

"Kiemi, it is not your fault," I said as I grabbed her face to make sure she was looking at me.

"I ran away," Kiemi whispered sadly, "He told me to run and I just left him there."

"You couldn't have known that was going to happen when you left him," I said trying to comfort her.

"But he's gone all the same," Kiemi stated sadly, never letting a tear fall.

"I am so sorry," I said unable to find any thing else to say.

"After what happened with Rin, my mother left the family so she could save me from that fate," Kiemi continued to explain, "She didn't want me to grow up to become an assassin like them."

"So that is how she knew how to train you," I pondered out loud.

"My mother was one of the best Shamans the family had ever seen," she replied, "She was a great loss to them."

"Does this mean that she…?" I asked letting the question hang.

"Yes, she was an assassin for the Emperor as well," Kiemi replied.

"I see," I said, unable to think of any other response.

"She hated all the killing…but she loved her family too much to defy them," Kiemi continued, "When she left all that behind, she was heartbroken."

"Do you miss them?" I asked, seeing the longing and sorrow in her eyes, "Your family?"

"We may have been killers and murderers," Kiemi said offensively, "But we cared for each other and would do anything to protect the family and it's honor."

"I never would have thought," I commented mostly to myself.

"I've told you too much…I shouldn't have told you at all," Kiemi rambled on frantically, "Promise me you'll repeat nothing I have said."

"I won't I promise, Mi-ni" I assured her and at the same time teasing her.

"Thanks, Hao," Kiemi said finally able to smile just a little, "And don't call me Mi-ni."

"Make me" I said mockingly with a laugh.

So, that was the truth. The reason she was so harsh on me when we trained and the reason why she always seemed sad was because it reminded her so much of her brother Rin and the family she had to leave behind. I couldn't help but feel honored at the fact that she told me. That showed that she put her trust in me. And that was an encouraging thought.

TBC


	6. Ch 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

For the first time I could remember, I was truly content with my life.But we knew it couldn't last forever. The spring passed into summer, as it does every year, and Mei Tao felt that she had been away from her business long enough. Though I agree that she needed to take care of her business, I also had to admit that I was starting to enjoy them being around.But she had to leave…and that meant that Kiemi would have to leave as well.

-#-#-#-

"Where were you this morning, Mi-ni?" I asked, at the same time taunting her with my nickname for her.

"I was doing some early morning training," Kiemi replied without taking her eyes off the space before her as she stood on a seemingly too flimsy tree branch, "And how many times to I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"At least one more time, as always," I replied with a laugh, "You know, one of these days you're going to fall off and no one will be here to catch you when you do."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" she asked with a hint of sadness in her voice that only I had learned to detect, "After all, it would mean one less Shaman for you to battle in the Tournament."

"Don't speak of such things," I said with all seriousness as I watched her from below, "You know how it upsets me when you talk like that."

"I was merely joking, Hao," Kiemi sighed as she jumped off the branch and landed on the ground with the grace of a cat, "My way of dealing with mother's decision to leave, I suppose."

"When are you leaving?" I asked not really wanting to hear her answer, trying with all my might not to look directly at her.

"I heard mother tell the merchants the day after tomorrow," Kiemi replied solemnly, also avoiding eye contact, "After the midday meal."

_So she dreads this as much as I do_, I thought to myself, _At least the feeling is mutual for us._

"Promise me you'll see me off," Kiemi said.

"Of course," I said, "But why are you leaving so soon?"

"Though she doesn't show it much, my mother worries about her company," Kiemi explained, "She is anxious to see how it faired in her absence."

"And how do you feel about all of this?" I asked, knowing that no one had taken the time to ask her.

"I have spent all of my life in China," Kiemi replied looking up to the sky for some comfort, "I've only spent months here and yet it feels more like my home than China ever did."

"Then stay here," I said, not willing to lose my only friend so easily, "You can stay with us, my family will take care of you."

"I could never leave my mother," Kiemi said keeping her back to me, "I am all that she has left…she needs me."

"And for her need, you would willingly leave me and all the peace that your heart seeks?" I asked in a burst of anger.

"…Those are the sacrifices that we must make in life," Kiemi sighed, finally finding the courage to look at me.

And with that she began walking away.I would never forget that look in her eyes, so filled with sorrow. But despite that, she still managed to smile the tiniest of smiles. That did nothing but infuriate me even more, because I didn't know how to make the feeling go away.

_There must be something I can do,_ I said to myself as I followed behind her.

-#-#-#-

"Where are you, Hao?" Kiemi said to herself.

It was the day Kiemi and her mother were to leave the village and I was nowhere to be seen.I had promised her that I would see her off but that was before we had gotten into that dreadful argument. Things were said that I wish I could take back; fore I was mostly the one who was talking. All the while, she just stood there and listened to my hurtful words until finally she could take no more and fled, tears escaping down her face. Why she never said a word in her defense that night I would never know.

"Kiemi, it's time to go," her mother said to her.

"But Hao isn't here yet," Kiemi pleaded to her mother.

"We've waited as long as we could," Mei Tao said regretfully, "If we wait any longer we will miss our boat back to China."

I was glad that I wasn't there to see the pain and disappointment in her face. It seemed to her that this was one time we wouldn't be able resolve our problems.

"Yes, mother," she said without any argument.

"Thank you, Han," Mei Tao said to my father, "Your family has been so kind."

"It was no trouble," my father said, "You and your daughter are welcome to come back anytime."

"I will hold you to that," Mei Tao said with her ever radiant smile.

And then they were off on their journey.But before they could even make it to the bottom of the first hill, I made my way through the fields, running with all the strength that was in me. I had made a promise to a friend and I intended to keep it no matter how our last meeting went.

"Kiemi!" I called to her.

At the sound of my voice, she turned, as did everyone else in her company. She looked at me with such joy.

"Go to him," Mei Tao said to her daughter, "I think he has something to give you."

And indeed I did. How Mei Tao knew that I will never know. But without another word, Kiemi ran across the field to meet me, away from all others and their prying ears. It was a fitting place to say our farewells.

"I thought you weren't coming," Kiemi said all her concern wrapped in that one statement.

"I was busy getting you this," I said as I handed her a handmade cage.

Inside rested a elegant white bird with defined specs of black dotted along it's wings and back.

"The bird is beautiful," Kiemi exclaimed.

"It's a white gyrfalcon, very rare," I explained, "Its mother had died when it was a hatchling, so I took care of it…he's yours now."

"Hao, I can't possibly take this," Kiemi said both amazed and honored, "He means so much to you."

"He is mine to give…take him," I simply said, "May he serve you well."

"I am honored," Kiemi said as she accepted my gift with a bow.

"What will you name him?" I asked curiously, hoping to by more time before she had to leave.

"I think Cheung would be fitting," Kiemi replied with a grin, "It means 'Good Luck'."

"Yes, a fitting name," I said, unable to find anything else to say.

"Kiemi," her mother called, interrupting our parting just at the right time, "We must be going or we'll be late for the boat."

"Yes, mother," Kiemi said, saddened almost instantly.

Turning to me, she found now words to say, neither did I. But I think our silence was enough. Looking into my eyes, Kiemi simply smiled and nodded. I did the same in return. But before Kiemi turned to leave, she leaped into my arms, embracing me in a loving hug. Without a word being said, I wrapped my arms around her small form and gently hugged her back.

_No, no words need to be said_, I thought.

I stood there in the field as they made their way down the path to the nearest city until I could see them no more. And just like that, she was gone, out of my life just as quickly as she had appeared. Though I wanted to, I could shed no tears for her departure. Somehow it didn't feel right to cry. Crying meant that I would never see her again. And somehow I knew that I would.

The months passed like they always did. And as time went by, the pain of Kiemi being gone grew less and less. Everything returned to how it was before the travelers arrived to the village. The villagers went about their business without interruption. And once again I was alone without a friend in the world…or so I thought.

TBC


	7. Ch 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

It was nearing the end of the following spring and the beginning of the hot summer months. Once again I was working in the fields by our home on a cloudy but humid day when I saw it. There flying high in the sky was a single falcon soaring above my head, a white gyrfalcon.

"Cheung?" I questioned to myself, "Surely my eyes deceive me."

But no, my eyes weren't seeing things it was in fact Cheung, the falcon I had given Kiemi at our parting. I was amazed that such a bird could travel such a distance.

"Perhaps she should've named you 'Adventurer of the Skies'," I said with a laugh as he gracefully landed on my outstretched hand, "What are you doing here?"

My question was answered when I saw a little slip of paper attached to Cheung's leg. Curious as to what it was, I untied it while Cheung proceeded to preen his feathers. Much to my surprise, it was a message from Kiemi:

_My dearest friend,_

_These long months in China have only proven to me how much I miss Japan and your little village. So much has changed with my mother's business in her absence that she immediately took control after stepping through the doors. She is not as carefree as she used to be. I think that she is beginning to believe that leaving the village was not a good idea after all. _

_I have also heard that the spring rain caused a great flood in a town near your village and the winter was especially harsh. I do not hesitate to tell you that I was greatly concerned about you and your family. Mother assures me that the village is fine and that if any for of tragedy had hit the village that your father would have taken care of it by now. She has the most loyal confidence in your father, which brings me much comfort as my mother is a wonderful judge of character. _

_I hope that Cheung does not lose his way and this letter finds its way to you, my friend. I look forward to your letter with Cheung's return flight. Until then my dearest friend, stay safe._

_Kiemi Tao_

"Clever girl," I said to myself with a laugh. And with that, I rushed home to write my own letter in response.

-#-#-#-

_Dear Kiemi,_

_Never in my wildest imaginings would I have ever thought to have sent tidings by wing. You truly are like no other I have ever met. Take comfort in that. I am sorry to hear of your mother's company and its troubles upon your return to China. But I've no doubt that your mother can easily fix that problem. _

_Yes the spring rain did a number of damage in the nearby town as well as the winter snow. Thankfully our village has remained in tact through the storms of the seasons. It gives me great comfort that you would still think of our village from so far away. _

_Well, now that we've established our own form of communication, I expect that I will be hearing from you often. I hope to hear from you soon. May Cheung fly swift and safely. Until then my friend._

_Hao Asakura_

-#-#-#-

And so Kiemi and I remained in touch with Cheung flying in between the two countries and things remained so for months, almost years. My family never knew of our Cheung system, though I suspect that my mother knew something. She was always the more observant parent.

But one day the letters and messages from Kiemi stopped coming. There was no sight of Cheung for a long time and I began to worry.

_Perhaps Cheung is resting_, I told myself, _Even a noble bird as him can't fly the distance at his age._

As the months passed, there was still no word from Kiemi. The seasons began to blend together and I lost all track of time as I waited for word from China. All the while, the village found it necessary to express their disappointment at my inability in finding a bride. I was at an age that I should have already had a wife and a family of my own.

Such a thing seemed unimportant to me, though my father disagreed. He began "interviewing" every eligible girl in the village for to find my future wife. And he would have found one the second week of his hunt had not my mother stepped in and interfered with my father's search. None of that mattered, though, because I was too concern about my dearest and only friend.

-#-#-#-

Finally, one cold winter day while I was clearing our yard of the new fallen snow, I saw in the distance a lone bird soaring in the sky. All the birds in the area had already flown away from the cold winter weather.

_What bird would still be here in the dead of winter?_, I thought to myself.

I was about to turn away and continue my work when I notice the coloring of the bird's feathers. It was a unique pattern. As far as I knew, there was only one bird that looked like that.

"Cheung?" I said to myself.

Sure enough, as the bird flew closer and I got a better look, it was Cheung. On his leg, once again was a letter address to me from Kiemi.

_Dearest Hao,_

_Many apologies for not writing you for so long. My mother had become ill last winter and I was forced to handle the majority of her business while she rested. Do not worry your father with my mother's illness fore she has been better for a while now. But she has taken it upon herself to incorporate me into her organization because I did such a fine job in her absence. _

_I have been away from China for so long that Cheung almost did not recognize me when I finally returned which saddened me much. And then I was reminded of you and how worried you must have been from not hearing from me for so long. You must have thought that I had came to some tragic end. I assure you that I am in no immediate danger though, upon coming home, I have found myself in a very unbearable situation. _

_It is for that reason that I have written. I greatly desire to speak with you on this matter. My mother is sending me to Japan on business and has agreed to let me come visit your village for a little while. I cannot tell you in great detail of the circumstances at the moment but I assure you it is dire. I will arrive in Japan in a few days. Keep Cheung until then. Till we meet again._

_Kiemi Tao_

"I wonder what could be wrong," I pondered to myself as Cheung looked at me with his piercing eyes.

_I suppose we'll see when she arrives_, I thought.

TBC


	8. Ch 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

"I hope that everything is alright with Kiemi and her family," my mother said to me as she was making the midday meal.

I had no hesitation in telling my mother about the contents of Kiemi's last letter. After all, we needed to prepare for her stay with us. But before I had a chance to say a word to her about it, I found that she had already prepared all that was necessary, much to the disapproval of my father.

"All she told me was that she needed to talk to me," I said to my mother as I paced back and forth in our cooking area, "What if she's in danger?"

"A mother is very protective of her children," my mother assured me, "I am sure that if Kiemi was in any danger, Mei wouldn't have allowed her to travel so far."

_Unless sending her away was the safest road for them_, my mother thought, _I hope that is not the case._

_Despite your fears, you always know what to say_, I thought with a smile.

My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed that the villagers were gathering at the north side of the village. Without a word, I ran out of the house to see what the commotion was all about. Sure enough, it was Kiemi with her small band of followers from her mother's company riding on horseback. Her face was emotionless and seemed deep in thought, oblivious to all that was happening around her.

"Kiemi!" I shouted in the crowd.

At the sound of my voice, her head jumped up, quickly scanning the crowd for my familiar face. The moment she spotted me, her eyes lit up like the brightest star in the sky.

"Welcome back to our village, Miss Kiemi," my father said when she had reached the limits of our village, "It is good to see you again after so long."

_Though, I wish you had stayed away_, my father was thinking, _All you do is distract my son from his practice and work._

"It is good to be back," Kiemi said politely, "Please forgive my rudeness, but I am in need to speak with your son."

"Of course," my father said somewhat taken aback by the statement, "I hope that he is of some help."

_If the matter was so serious, you should seek the help of those who can actually do something_, my father thought bitterly, _Foolish girl, you dig your own grave._

_What does he have against Kiemi_, I reflected to myself, not for the last time.

With a smile, she thanked my father much like her mother would have done and dismounted her horse with all the grace in the world. She bowed to me respectfully before walking off towards the training ground. It wasn't until we were out of sight from everyone else that she embraced me in her warm hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Hao," Kiemi said in the most delicate of voices.

"It's good to see you as well, Kiemi," I said in return, a smile spreading across my face, but not without hiding the concern in my voice.

"You are worried about me," Kiemi stated.

"I am anxious to know of your situation," I corrected, "I have never known you to fear anything."

"I fear this," she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"Tell me what happened," I said, not able to wait any longer.

"…While I was away from China on my mother's business trips, my father returned to discuss things with my mother," Kiemi began hesitantly.

_Father?_, I thought to myself, I"Why has she never mentioned him before?

"My parents were never wedded," Kiemi said explaining my unasked question, "Their joining was a mistake, or so my mother told me."

"Go on," I encouraged her.

"He came back last summer to inform me and my mother that he had made an arrangement for me years ago," Kiemi continued, unable to look anywhere else but the ground.

_I don't like the sound of this_, I told myself.

"I am to be wedded in the spring," Kiemi finally said, confirming my suspicion, "My father will come for me when the snow melts."

I was stunned; shocked beyond reckoning. I felt as if my very being was being ripped apart. All the while Kiemi was shedding silent tears as she leaned against a nearby tree. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but my voice seemed to have left me that moment.

_No_, I thought to myself, _This can't be happening._

"…His name is Jin Hu," Kiemi said, "At least I know that much."

"…How could this happen?" I asked finally finding my voice.

"…In a game of mahjong," Kiemi said with a laugh, "I was of so little worth to him that he bet me in a game of mahjong."

Tears were streaming down her face and yet she was laughing at the whole situation. She fell to her knees in defeat and yet she was still laughing, as if the world had come to an ironic end.

_She's going insane_, I told myself, _And who could blame her?_

"He only wishes to marry me so he will have a tie with my mother's business," Kiemi added, "I believe they call it diplomacy."

"How does your mother feel about all this?" I asked, trying to find some kind of solution for her.

"She dreads this as much as I do," Kiemi replied, madness still etched in her voice, "That is why she sent me here…her attempt to hide me for as long as she could."

"Is there nothing you can do?" I asked out of desperation.

"What can we do?" Kiemi retorted bitterly, "Women have little privilege in this world, especially in our customs."

"We have until the spring," I said, refusing to give up hope, "I'm sure my father will think of something."

"And what if he can't?" Kiemi questioned with so little hope.

"He will," I said, comforting her with a warm hug.

_He has to_, I thought to myself.

TBC


	9. Ch 8

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"It is not possible," my father said to me, destroying all my hopes.

As soon as my conversation with Kiemi was over I rushed straight home in hopes of finding an answer with my father. But all he did was heighten my despair.

"But there has to be," I shouted.

"You know the ways of our people," my father retorted, "Once a marriage is arrange there is little you can do to stop it."

_She is so close to being out of my way_, my father was actually thinking.

"I have to stop it somehow," I stated, confused about his thoughts.

"No, I won't allow it," I father said firmly.

"Why not?" I questioned.

"Because it is dishonorable," my father explained, "I knew she was nothing but trouble the moment I saw her."

_If I keep her away from him, perhaps, he will be reminded of his neglected duties_, I hear my father think.

"Her mother is your dearest friend," I commented bitterly, "She sent Kiemi here in hopes that you would help."

"She is not her mother," my father snapped.

_I will not let my son succumb to her_, my father was really thinking.

"No, but she is my friend and she is scared," I said weakly, "I thought as my father you would help me…clearly I was wrong."

_If only you could understand_, my father thought with so much sadness, almost making me regret my outburst…almost.

And with that, I left the house and stormed off to the woods. When I reached the clearing, I let out a hideous cry of frustration causing a nearby tree to split in half. In my anger, I didn't notice my mother following close behind me. It wasn't until she spoke to me that I knew of her presence.

"I see you've mastered the element of wood…at least temporarily," my mother said sarcastically, "You'll have to write about that incident in your book."

"Mother!" I said in shock, finally acknowledging her presence.

"Why do you try so hard?" my mother asked softly.

"Because she is my friend and she needs my help," I replied.

"Is that the only reason?" she asked ominously.

_I think there is something else at work here_, she was thinking.

"What other reason could there be?" I questioned her.

"I cannot tell you that, my son," my mother said with a smile, "You must figure it out on your own."

_Hopefully, before it's too late_, my mother added in her mind.

"…Where is Kiemi?" I asked out of curiosity.

"She is on the hill overlooking the village," my mother replied as she lovingly stroked my hair, "I think she needs a friend."

_You should go see her_, my mother "suggested".

"I can't face her now," I said in utter defeat.

"Very well," my mother sighed, "The evening meal will be served soon."

"Yes mother," I said not really paying attention.

_What other reason was she talking about?_, I wondered to myself as she disappeared into the house.

"So your father refuses to do anything?" Kiemi asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Kiemi," I said in surprise, "I thought you were on the hill."

"Answer the question, Hao," Kiemi demanded calmly.

"It would seem so," I said sadly, "But I promise you I will find a way."

"Please, do what you must, but do not speak of it to me again unless you have to," Kiemi requested with a sigh as she turned away to face the sky, "I wish to merely forget about the entire thing and enjoy my stay here in peace."

"Very well," I agreed solemnly.

_She does not need to worry about this yet_, I thought to myself, _We have all winter to figure something out._

"Tell me of your business trips then," I said, realizing that I had heard little of her travels, "Where did you go?"

"Everywhere," Kiemi answered with a little grin, "I've seen so many things."

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"…My family for one," Kiemi replied softly, "I stopped at the Tao Family Estate on one of my trips when mother was ill."

"How did that go?" I asked, interested in her reunion with the family she loved but had to leave.

"It was good to see them again even though I could not stay long," Kiemi continued, the happy gleam in her eyes returning, "I found out I had a cousin named Chen Fai."

_She seems so happy talking about her family_, I mused, _Maybe I can unite them for good one day._

-#-#-#-

The winter days passed with little grief. Kiemi slowly became the girl that I had first met those long years ago. All the cares that she carried with her since she began working for her mother disappeared into the mist and in its place was the innocent smile that I saw that first day I met her.

I didn't notice it at first, but I began to change as well. My training didn't seem as important as it used to be. Making my father proud was no longer a priority for me anymore. Finding a way for Kiemi to get out of her marriage with Jin Hu was. But as the days passed and hope dwindled, just spending time with her was enough. And that's when my mother's words began to make sense.

Without realizing it, I had developed deep feelings for my friend dearest friend…my only friend. Love…the word didn't belong in my vocabulary, and yet here I was. But I suppose I had loved her for a long time. It wasn't until now, when I had a big risk of losing her that I realized it. And if I didn't find a way to save her before spring came, I was going to lose her forever.

-------------------------------------------------------------

TBC


	10. Ch 9

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Despite the long months we spent together, I still had not told Kiemi of my feelings for her. The timing never seemed right. And unfortunately, our time ran out sooner than I anticipated. The winter was gone and spring was on its way. That's when he arrived. We had no warning at all. We weren't expecting him to come for another few weeks. But I should have known better; I should have prepared.

Shing, Kiemi's long absence father, came down the path towards our village one day in the early spring with a band of followers behind him. Kiemi and I were sitting peacefully in the hills surrounding the village when she spotted him.

"Oh no!" Kiemi exclaimed to herself.

"What is it?" I asked looking over the hills to see the little band of travelers.

"It's my father," Kiemi said fearfully, "He's come for me."

"Don't worry, I won't let him take you," I said as I grabbed her hand and started running.

"Where are we going?" Kiemi asked.

"To find a place where they won't find you," I replied as we ran off into the forest before we were seen, "There's a cave in the forest that no one goes near, we can hide there for now."

As fast as my legs would take me, I ran deep into the forest that resided near our village with Kiemi one step behind me. We ran for what seemed like hours and yet that still wasn't far enough for me. I could tell that Kiemi was getting scared by my actions and frankly so was I. Finally, we found ourselves at the opening of the cave. It was getting dark and it would prove a good shelter for the two of us.

"Hao, we can't hide forever," Kiemi finally said when we were settled in the cave.

"I promised you that I would find a way out of this," I said as I made a small fire, "I aim to keep my promise."

The sentence marked the beginning of yet another long silent moment between the two of us. There had been many of these during the winter when I was busy trying to form a plan and she was busy trying to forget her troubles. There were a lot of things that we refused to talk about…and I suppose it was that reason that we were in the situation we were in.

"…Why do you care so much?" Kiemi finally asked, breaking the stillness.

"Because you are my friend," I replied simply.

"Is that the only reason?" Kiemi asked curiously.

Here was my chance to tell her everything. It was my chance to pour out my heart to her and finally tell her what I wanted to say for so long. But being the fool I was, I decided to miss my chance.

"What other reason could there be?" I replied, utterly defeated by my fear.

"Oh," she said, almost disappointed.

_You are a fool, Hao_, I mentally berated myself, _Why didn't you tell her?_

"What do we do now?" Kiemi asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"I wish I knew," I replied with little comfort.

Kiemi curled up in a corner near the fire and began rubbing her arms to warm them up. In seeing this, I handed her the thick cloak I was wearing to keep her warm. She thanked me with a smile. And so we fell to sleep to that, neither knowing what the other was thinking…neither knowing how long we had.

-#-#-#-

I woke up the following morning to a conversation outside of the cave. As I sat up, I looked around the cave to discover Kiemi gone. I rushed outside only to find Kiemi and her mother facing each other, obviously in the middle of a heated conversation.

"I had no choice," Mei Tao was saying, "He was threatening to kill you for you disobedience."

"What right does he have to my life?" Kiemi shouted, "He abandoned us."

"He is still your father and by the laws of our people, he still has authority over you," Mei Tao said solemnly, "I did not make the rules so do not be angry at me, my dear daughter."

Kiemi didn't say another word. She knew there was nothing her mother could do just as there was nothing she could do. The world was against her as it always was. It was then that I knew that she had finally given up all hope.

"At least you had a few months of freedom before this," her mother said in comfort.

With tears on the edges of her lashes, Kiemi smiled a hopeless smiled and made her way back to the village. It pained both her mother and me to see her in such a defeated state.

"Is there nothing we can do?" I asked Mei Tao when Kiemi was out of earshot.

"You tried your best," Mei Tao replied, "Not many would go to such lengths as you did to save a friend."

"But she trusted me," I said mostly to myself, "And I failed her."

The walk back to the village was awkward and silent. None of us wished to return quickly, each finding every reason to delay our arrival. But still it wasn't enough. Shing and Jin Hu were waiting for us when we left the forest. And still Kiemi had a smile on her face.

"There is my little girl," Shing said the moment he saw Kiemi leave the woods, "You're anxious so I'll forgive you for running away."

_That overbearing, heartless fiend_, I thought to myself.

He actually believed that Kiemi was excited about this arrangement. It made me all the more angered by his actions.

"Come," Shing continued, "We shall prepare the wedding immediately."

"A proper wedding cannot possibly be arranged for weeks," Kiemi's mother said in hopes of buying her daughter more time to enjoy her freedom.

"This can't wait any longer," Shing said forcefully, "By rights they should already be wedded to each other."

"Please, give her more time," Mei Tao pleaded.

"She has had plenty of time," Shing snapped, "She spent the entire winter away on your business trip."

"But Shing-," Mei began to say.

"Enough, we will speak no more of this!" Shing interrupted, clearly losing his patience, "Come Kiemi, let's finish this quickly."

_The sooner you are wed, the sooner I can be rid of you and my debts_, Shing was thinking.

"Yes, father," Kiemi said obediently in the tiniest of voices.

_That's a good girl_, Shing thought smugly, _Nice and obedient._

It was then when I saw her turn to walk away with her soon to be husband and uncaring father that I knew that this was my final chance to do something. And so, taking a deep breath, I leaped forward impulsively.

"Wait!" I shouted to the departing party.

All turned to me at my outburst. My face turned the slightest shade of pink from all the attention, but my mind was set on the problem at hand.

"What do you want, boy?" Shing asked irritated at my behavior.

"I'll fight for her freedom," I blurted irrationally.

Everyone was shocked by my answer, including myself. But seeing Kiemi so defeated was unbearable and I did the first thing that came to my mind.

"What did you say?" Shing asked in disbelief.

_This boy is more foolish than I thought_, Shing commented in his mind.

"I said that I'll fight for her," I replied more confidently, "I'll do whatever it takes to get her freedom."

"Very well," Shing said with a glint of mischief in his eyes, "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind taking the Kettoujou?"

"No!" I heard Kiemi exclaim under her breath.

"What's that?" I asked curiously.

"It's a challenge," Shing replied, "A fight to the death to see who will get my daughter."

"Again with this," I said with fury, "She is not some prize to be won, she is a person."

"She is a woman," Shing sneered, "They are of little worth."

"Fine, if it means Kiemi's happiness and freedom, I'll accept your challenge," I stated with the up most confidence.

"Hao, no!" Kiemi exclaimed as she ran to my side.

"I'm not going to change my mind, and you know it, Kiemi," I said to her.

Kiemi knew that I was stubborn and that nothing she said would defer me from my task. So she did the one thing she could do, she stepped back. It was then that I got my first good look at Jin Hu.

I didn't notice it before, but Jin Hu was a big man with well-defined muscles and a bad attitude. He was the type of guy that looked like he always got what he wanted. And I was about to do something no one else had the nerve to do.

"Very well then," Shing said, "The Kettoujou will be held tomorrow."

_As well as your funeral, boy_, Shing added mentality.

And with that, Shing and Jin Hu walked off in a huff to make camp for the night.

"I hope you know what you are doing," my father said to me before he walked back to the house.

"So do I," I said to myself.

-#-#-#-

"What were you thinking, challenging Jin Hu to the Kettoujou like that?" Kiemi was saying to me.

After the challenge was made and everyone had said their piece about my foolish decision, Kiemi had pulled me aside to discuss the matter further. I could tell that she wasn't in the best of moods. Kiemi never liked to be the cause of conflict, and she liked to keep it from happening whenever she could.

"In all honesty, it was your father's idea to undertake the Kettoujou," I pointed out.

"But you didn't have to agree to it," Kiemi snapped.

"Would you rather I let you go ahead and marry Jin Hu?" I asked her.

"If it meant keeping you safe then yes," Kiemi replied without hesitation, "You know I wish for no one to be harmed, you most of all."

"It was something I had to do," I said mostly to myself.

"Why couldn't you have just left it alone?" Kiemi asked me.

"Because I made a promise to you," I replied.

"Please, Hao, rethink this," Kiemi pleaded with me, "I am not worth all this trouble."

"Yes, you are," I said looking deep into her eyes, "Don't ever think otherwise."

Kiemi didn't know what to say to that so she stood up and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. But, unfortunately, it didn't stay that way for long.

"Hey, you," Jin Hu said in an irritated tone as he approached me, "You, Hao Asakura."

_I know he hears me_, Jin Hu thought.

"What do you want?" I asked, not really in the mood for his company.

"Only to speak to you," Jin Hu said, suspicious tendency surrounding his very being.

"About what?" I asked, not caring if he answered or not.

"About how I will defeat you tomorrow," Jin Hu replied with so much confidence.

"Leave me alone, Jin Hu," I said pushing him aside and out of my way, "I have better things to do that to exchange words with you."

"She will be mine, Asakura," Jin Hu said as I was walking away, "There's nothing you can do about it."

_And I will enjoy our first night together greatly_, Jin Hu perversely thought.

Rather than going back to the house where I would have to deal with Kiemi's ill-tempered form, I headed off to the training field in the forest. Once there, I plopped down under a tree to, finally, give my mind time to form a strategy for the next day's main event.

"You won't beat Jin Hu by just sitting around and thinking," a voice said from behind the tree.Just then, my father stepped out from behind the shadows.

"Father?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

"If you are to fight tomorrow, the least I can do is make sure you do not die so quickly," my father said sarcastically.

_You are my only son, after all_, my father added mentally, _I can at least be sure you are capable of surviving._

-#-#-#-

My thoughts were so filled with worry and doubt that I slept little that night. I could tell that Kiemi didn't get much sleep either. We were both worried, I suppose. We both knew that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But despite the odds, I was ready to face Jin Hu in the Kettoujou. I wouldn't give up…I couldn't.

In the distance, I saw Jin Hu and Shing approaching with smug looks on their faces. They were so certain of the outcome of this conflict. But they didn't have something to fight for; I did…so why was I concerned?

"Shall we begin?" Shing asked with a sneer.

_I am going to enjoy watching this_, Shing thought enthusiastically.

"Let's get this over with," I said impatiently.

"Be careful," Kiemi whispered to me worriedly as we walked off.

_Good advice_, I thought to myself, _Let's hope I can follow it._

Jin Hu seemed more than ready to pound my face into the ground. By the way he was looking at Kiemi, there was no question that he wanted her. And I was the only thing standing in the way from getting what he wanted. I knew that I was in for the fight of my life.

_I will win this_, I thought to myself as I glanced over to Kiemi, _I have to._

"The rules are simple," Shing explained gesturing over to Kiemi, "The first to kill their opponent wins the hand of my dear daughter."

All the while, Jin Hu and I just stood there eying each other with the most determined looks the world had ever seen. We both had something to prove.

"Are you ready to begin the Kettoujou?" Shing asked the two of us.

_Prepare to die, boy_, Shing thought snidely.

_Great Spirits, guide me to my destiny_, I prayed silently.

-------------------------------------------------------------

TBC


	11. Ch 10

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"Ouch!" I exclaimed, as my mother attempted to bandage the wound on my head, "Be careful, mother."

The battle with Jin Hu was fierce and lasted for hours. It seemed like it would never end and that the two of us would be fighting for the rest of our lives. But I had a few advantages over Jin Hu. I had already mastered the element of Metal and, so, was skilled in the art of swordplay. While I was used to long hours practicing with Kiemi and could endure the strain, Jin Hu eventually tired and began to falter in his advances.

That was how I ended up winning the challenge. And though, it was part of the challenge to kill you opponent, I couldn't find the will to go through with it. I didn't want it to end that way and I knew that Kiemi didn't either. So I let him go free to return with Shing to China, defeated and humiliated.

"Well, if you would hold still it wouldn't hurt as much," my mother said to me as she secured the bandages.

_You never could stay still_, my mother mentally added.

"I heard that," I said softly, to which my mother responded with a smile.

"If you ask me, it's what he deserves for scaring us like that," Kiemi said, appearing suddenly.

"I think I'd have to agree with you," my mother commented playfully.

"If it's ok with you, Mrs. Asakura, I can finish here," Kiemi said to my mother with a smile, "I need to talk with your son."

"Don't hurt him too bad," my mother joked, "I still need him to work the field."

"Very funny," I said sarcastically.

_I was only joking, son_, my mother thought to me.

With a smile, my mother left me alone in my room with Kiemi. She didn't say a word to me and just continued to tend to my injuries. Finally, when I could take the silence no longer, she decided to say something.

"You're lucky to be alive, you know?" Kiemi stated, "Jin Hu could have hurt you far worse than this."

"But he didn't, did he?" I pointed out.

"Only because you were better trained in combat than he was," Kiemi also pointed out, "And because you used your empathic powers against him."

I shot an appalled look at her and opened my mouth to protest.

"Don't think I didn't notice you reading him," Kiemi interrupted, shutting me up on the matter, "I'd hate to think what would have happened if you didn't rely so much on that one ability."

"Then don't," I commented a little bit too rudely.

"…Why did you do it?" my dearest friend asked with concern, "Why did you agree to the Kettoujou when you were in so much danger?"

"I would agree to anything if it meant your happiness," I said confidently.

"And you would be willing to die for my happiness?" the Chinese maiden asked with so much confusion.

"…Yes," I replied simply, almost a mere whisper.

Kiemi seemed shocked at my answer. I was amazed myself. How could she not know by now how I felt about her? But then again, I did say to her in the cave that there was only one reason I was trying so hard.

"Why?" Kiemi asked, "Why would you be willing to risk so much?"

"…Because, my dear Kiemi, I realized while you were walking away from me with so much sadness in your eyes…that I love you," I said, relieved to be able to, finally, tell her, "And I couldn't lose you."

When the words finally registered in her mind, Kiemi looked at me as if I had grown another head. She looked so cute with her mouth slightly opened from in astonishment.

"You…love me?" she finally asked, sitting down on the other side of the bed.

"I do," I replied, avoiding eye contact.

She sat there for a long time, processing fully what I had just told her. Then without a word, she stood up and walked around the bed, over to me. I still could not look her in the eyes and so could not see what she was about to do or how she was feeling. So, as she came near, I braced myself for anything.

_I knew she would be mad_, I scolded myself, _Why didn't you just tell the truth when she asked you in the cave?_

Her hand lifted from her side and I prepared for the blow that would come…but it never did.Instead, she gently stroked my cheek with her little fingers, causing me to, finally, look up at her. She was smiling the smallest of smiles, tears on the edges of her eyes. And without a word, she leaned in and gave me the lightest of kisses on my lips.

"Thank you," she whispered softly to me.

-#-#-#-

It had been days since I told Kiemi how I felt about her and since then there was little contact between us. After her sincere "thank you" she swiftly left my room before I had the opportunity to ask what she was thanking me for. I hadn't had a chance to speak to her since. There were a lot of changes happening and neither one of us could spare any time to seek the other one out. The both of us were too busy with other matters to even attempt to sort these things out.

The village was preparing the field for next harvest. There was planting to be done and sowing of the fields. Mother was true to her word and kept me busy with fieldwork that would last me my entire life. But I minded it little. The work kept my thoughts off of other matters that plagued me for most of the day.

As for Kiemi, I had a feeling that she was going out of her way to avoid meeting up with me. Hearing someone tell you that they loved you was not an easy thing to process under such circumstances as the one we were in. It was a lot to deal with. Kiemi was always the type of person who kept to herself and showed little emotion to anyone, including myself. And with the new prospect of her mother's business expanding to Japan and near our village, it would mean that she would have to deal with these feelings she had spent most of her life concealing…which was fine with me. I knew I would wait for her no matter how long it took.

"I love you, too," Kiemi said to me, unexpectedly, one spring morning while I was getting ready to work in the fields again.

I suppose I didn't have to wait too long.

-#-#-#-

The declaration of our love was easy, simple really. Telling our families was the hard part. I don't know why, but the Japanese and the Chinese always had this rivalry between the two countries. And though her mother and my father were the closets and dearest of friends, my father had already made it clear to me that he didn't approve of my friendship with Kiemi. So there was no reason for me to believe that he would approve of my relationship with her now. So in the meantime, we kept it secret and would find ways to meet together secretly and peacefully.

"We should go back to the house," Kiemi said as the dark sky of night began to lighten with the rising sun.

It was a cool, crisp spring morning. Kiemi and I were laying snuggly in the field staring up at the sky, watching as the stars gave in to the sun and slowly disappeared with the fading moon.

"In a little bit," I said to her.

"If they wake up and find us gone again, they'll start to suspect," Kiemi pointed out, "They almost caught us last time."

"You worry too much," I commented as I felt her shake a little from the wet dew on the grass, "Besides, we'll be long gone before they even come out this far."

Kiemi shrugged in defeat and cuddled closer for warmth as I lovingly gave her a kiss on her forehead. In the distance over the hills, we could hear the faint callings of our names.

-#-#-#-

Though it took us a long time to gain the courage, eventually we did tell our families, though I think my mother knew beforehand. They were, for the most part, overjoyed with us. My father had a few comments but chose to tell them to me when we were alone. At least he had the decency not to say anything in front of Kiemi. But even he eventually warmed up to the idea of us being together. Either that or he had given up on changing my mind about the whole idea. Either way, he started acting more kindly towards Kiemi.

After the initial shock everything practically fell into place. With each passing day, Kiemi and I only loved each other even more. The whole situation concerning Jin Hu and Kiemi's father was almost forgotten by the end of the year. But as our luck goes, the peace would not last.

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TBC


	12. Ch 11

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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The seasons quickly passed and autumn was setting in. It was time to go into town to gather supplies for the winter. I had promised my mother that I would go this year. Kiemi had agreed to come with me to make sure I stuck to the business at hand since I had a tendency to get off track in past years.

"Remember, you promised your mother that you would go into town to get the supplies," Kiemi said to me, "Don't tell me you changed your mind."

"It's not that I changed my mind, exactly," I tried to explain to her.

"Oh, I see," Kiemi said with a laugh, "You just didn't want to do it at all."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed whole heartedly.

"Well, Mr. Asakura, We're already in town so stop complaining and help me with the supplies," Kiemi said as she looked around for the things we needed to get.

"Who said I was complaining?" I asked playfully, "Besides, we have all day to gather the supplies."

"It usually takes all day to gather the supplies," my lovely Chinese maiden pointed out to me.

"Perhaps when you go, but I have my ways around all that," I said proudly, "So, what do you say we take a look around for a while before we start?"

But there came no answers. When I heard no response, I turned around only to find that she was gone.

"Kiemi?" I called, worry beginning to set in, "Kiemi, where did you go?"

Rushing through the streets, there was no sign of her anywhere in the town. By the time I started asking people if they had seen her I was beyond worry.

"Kiemi," I continued to call, "If this is a joke, it isn't funny."

"I'm afraid this isn't a joke, boy" a voice snickered behind me.

At the sound, I turned around to face the speaker only to find myself looking into the eyes of Jin Hu.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I got into a defensive stance.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jin Hu asked arrogantly.

"Where's Kiemi?" I asked as the realization hit me, "What did you do to her?"

"She is fine, don't worry" Jin Hu replied calmly, "She will be freed once we get what we want."

"We?" I said, "I should've known Shing would be apart of this."

"Of course he's apart of this," Jin Hu said with a hint of anger, "He still owes me."

"What do you want?" I more demanded than asked, feeling helpless at the situation.

-#-#-#-

"He wants my business?" Mei Tao asked after I had given her the message Jin Hu and sent.

"That is what he said, and until you do, they're going to keep Kiemi," I repeated as my mother tended to my wounds.

Jin Hu felt that a message wasn't enough. It wasn't until I was surrounded by his followers that I took the time to look at my surroundings. Before then, my entire being was focused on getting Kiemi back safely.

"We have to find her," I added as the gash in my shoulder was being cleaned.

"We aren't going to do a thing," my father corrected me, "You are going to bed to heal while the rest of us think if something."

_And before she traps you even further into her web_, my father mentally added.

"No, I won't rest until she's back," I protested, ignoring my father's mental comment.

"What good will you be in the condition that you are in?" my father pointed out.

"I don't care what condition I'm in as long as Kiemi's safe," I shouted.

"He's right Han, all that matters now is the safety of my daughter," Mei interrupted, "Even if that means I will lose my business."

"But Mei," my father protested.

"Nothing is more important than my daughter, Han," Mei interrupted again, "I would give my own life for her."

"If that is what you want," my father said, though I knew he was thinking otherwise.

_I knew that girl would bring us nothing but trouble_, I heard my father think.

_What does he have against her?_, I thought once again, _What is the reason for his bitterness towards her?_

"Where did Jin Hu say to meet him, Hao?" Mei asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"In the forest road where it splits in two," I replied.

"Then we must prepare," Mei said with all determination in her voice.

-#-#-#-

"I can't just sit here and do nothing," I said to my mother.

My father and Mei Tao had left to meet with Jin Hu and Shing. The both of them had agreed that I was to stay home and rest from my wounds. But all the waiting was driving me insane. I knew before they left that there would be no rest for me, not as long as I knew that Kiemi was in danger.

"I know how you feel, my son, but your father is right," my mother said, "You would be no good to her in your condition."

"My condition doesn't matter," I snapped, to which my mother flinched, "I mean no disrespect mother, but I love her and I fear for her."

"I know you do, Hao," she said sympathetically with a sigh, "So, go find her."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Go find her," my mother repeated, "Go find the one you love."

"But what about what father said?" I asked.

"I will explain everything to your father," my mother replied, "Now, go find Kiemi and make sure she's safe."

"…Thank you, mother," I said as I rushed out of the house.

I was about to jump on Fenikkusu, one of my father's horses, when I noticed a bird flying strangely in the air. It looked like it was greatly injured. It was when I saw the feather patterns that I knew who it was.

"Cheung!" I exclaimed as he practically flew into the ground.

He was brutally battered and would not last much longer. It was then that I noticed a note attached to his leg.

_My dearest Hao, _

_I do not have much time. I know what Jin Hu has told you but do not trust him. I overheard him and my father say that they will kill my mother and take me with them back to China. They want nothing to do with the business. They only want to be part of the Tao family and my mother is the only one that stands in their way. I do not know what to do. I only hope that Cheung is able to get this to you after what my father did to him. Please, hurry, Hao!_

_Kiemi Tao_

"Thank you, Cheung," I said to my now dead friend, "I will never forget what you have done."

After taking some time to give Cheung a proper burial, I was off to save Kiemi. Time was against me. My father and Mei Tao had long set out on their journey and there was no telling what was in store for them when they would arrive at the meeting place.

"Please, let it not be too late," I said to myself as I rode off into the forest.

-------------------------------------------------------------

TBC


	13. Ch 12

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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When I arrived, there was a great battle already underway: my father and Mei Tao against minions of Jin Hu and Shing. As for the Jin Hu and Shing, they were busy shoving a struggling Kiemi into the back of a cart as they prepared to ride away from the scene.

"No!" Mei cried, unable to save her beloved daughter.

"I'll get her," I shouted as I appeared out of nowhere on Fenikkusu.

"Hao, get back here!" my father shouted at me as he fought off Shing's followers.

But nothing he said would keep me from going after Kiemi. Hearing my name being call, Shing and Jin Hu hurried down the path towards the nearest port to China. All the while, Kiemi continued to struggle free as she called for help.

"Hao, help me!" she shouted before a gag was tied over her mouth.

"Kiemi, I'm coming!" I shouted back as I pushed Fenikkusu to run faster.

"I don't think so, boy," Shing said as he and Jin Hu started dropping things from the cart to slow me down.

Unfortunately, it worked and I drifted further and further behind them. But I couldn't give up on her. So I decided to take a detour to another point in the path. But the time I got there, they had just rode past, still in their cart. Imagine their surprise when I showed up out of nowhere. As we neared the village port, my desperation increased with every mile until it came to a point where I thought I would explode. Well, needless to say, the ground exploded for me.

Just when Shing and Jin Hu were about to turn the last corner of the road, the ground split open underneath them. The horses managed to jump over the giant chasm but the cart attached to them wasn't so lucky.

"No!" I shouted, fearing that I had lost Kiemi forever.

It was at that moment that Kiemi had managed to break free from her bondage. I tried reaching for her, but it was too late and she slipped away from my grasp. It was then that she did something I never would have expected.

"Spirit form!" Kiemi shouted with her hand raised to the sky, "Cheung, into the robe."

Before I knew what was going on, there was a flash and Kiemi was surrounded by this blue, hazy mist. Then her furyoku transformed into grand wings that lifted her up out of the chasm as Shing and Jin Hu fell to their death. I watched in disbelief as she landed in front of me with all the grace of a swan.

"What was that?" I asked still in disbelief.

"Spirit control," she replied simply, "Didn't your mother teach you about that?"

"She did but I never saw it done before and I never thought it would be so amazing," I replied, "So, I assume that Cheung is you Guardian Spirit."

"I suppose so," Kiemi reminded me, "And were my eyes deceiving me or did you just master the Earth element?"

"That was no mistake," I said cheerfully, "It would seem I have a bit of writing to do when we get back to the village."

It was then that our praises were interrupted by a shrill cry that sounded a lot like Mei Tao. That snapped Kiemi and I out of our distracted thoughts and back to the matter at hand.

"Mother!" Kiemi said softly, worry laced in her tone.

"Let's go," I said as we rushed off to help them.

-#-#-#-

When we came back to the clearing; the bodies of Shing and Jin Hu's followers scattered all over the area. I found my father huddled over the body of his dear friend Mei Tao, anguish written in his face.

"Mother, no!" Kiemi said, horrified at the sight.

"Is she…?" I began, unable to finish.

"She is alive…for now," my father replied bitterly.Then turning to Kiemi, he added, "No thanks to you."

"Father this isn't the time," I protested, seeing that Kiemi was too distressed to defend herself.

"This is the perfect time," my father said, laying Mei Tao gently on the ground before he stood up to face me, "I knew that girl was nothing but trouble from the moment I met her."

"What do you have against her?" I asked as Kiemi quietly picked up her unconscious mother.

"She's a Tao, born and bred to be assassins," my father retorted, all the while, Kiemi seemed oblivious to the fact that we were talking about her, "They are not to be trusted."

"Mei was a Tao and you trusted her," I stated as Kiemi began rocking back and forth with her mother in her arms.

"She left the clan under her own free will," my father countered.

"And so did Kiemi," I defended, as I saw a small tear stream down Kiemi's cheek.

"I know that she wants to go back to the clan," my father said with a cynical laugh as he pointed to Kiemi, "She is one of them."

"How could you think that way?" I asked in disbelief.

"If you two are done arguing, my mother is in need of help," Kiemi interrupted a little harshly, her mother still clutched tightly in her arms, "Or would you rather she died like you want the rest of our family to do?"

Though callous, her statement was true. While I argued with my father, Mei Tao's life hung in the balance between this world and the next. This was not the time for selfish bickering. So with the help of me and my father, the three of us managed to get Mei Tao back to the village and my mother. After placing her on the bed, my mother shooed both my father and I out of the room while she and Kiemi worked to save Mei from her fate. Unable to stand the wait, I left for my training ground, my one sanctuary from worldly misfortunes such as this.

Long after my isolation in the field, I became curious at how things were going with Mei. Upon returning to my home, I saw my mother outside sitting quietly on our porch. She had this unreadable expression plastered on her face as she stared at the ground in front of her.

"Mother?" I called hesitantly.

At the sound, my mother looked up from the ground. I didn't need to ask, the answer could be seen in her eyes; the tears hanging on the edges of her eyes that she refused to let fall.

"How long ago was it?" I asked.

"Not too long after you left," my mother replied, returning her gaze to the ground in front of her.

"Where is Kiemi?" I asked staring at the top of my mother's head.

"She left a while ago," my mother replied, "Your father tried looking for her but had little luck."

"Perhaps I'll have better luck," I said with a sad smile.

-#-#-#-

I searched everywhere I could think of for Kiemi with little luck. She always had a great skill of staying hidden when she didn't want to be found. I finally found Kiemi sitting on the lake shore, her legs bent in front of her and arms folded over her knees.

"You shouldn't be alone now," I said to myself.

Quietly, she stared out at the water as she rested her head in her arms. It all seemed too quiet, even for her. She donned the same expressionless face that my mother had earlier.

"Kiemi?" I called, finally finding the courage to break the peace.

"She's gone," she said in the smallest of voices, "My mother is gone."

"I know," I said sympathetically, "I'm so sorry."

"My father finally succeeded in his goal to ruin her life," she added, pain laced in every word, "Even in death, he couldn't leave her alone."

"At least she can find peace now," I assured her as I put an arm around her.

"I suppose," she said as she leaned into my touch.

For a while, we stayed like that, both seeking comfort in each other. It was then that Kiemi was finally able to shed tears for her dead mother. In seeing this, I couldn't help but be saddened by her grief. Suddenly, the sun disappeared behind a barrage of huge black clouds and it started to rain. This alone, startled the both of us from our state.

"Looks like you just mastered the element of Water," Kiemi said with a laugh, her tears mixing with the falling rain, "Something else to write in your tome."

"I guess so," I said somberly, "But at what cost?"

With that, Kiemi looked into my eyes and gave me one of her sad smiles, the ones that she always presented to make people believe that she was fine when she wasn't…the ones that always pained me to see. So, with that, I looked away, unable to look at that smile for long.

"What will happen to your mother's business?" I asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I suppose it would go to me," Kiemi replied emotionlessly.

"But that would mean that you would have to leave Japan!" I exclaimed with worry.

"I know," she replied solemnly with her eyes cast down at the ground.Suddenly her hand reached up to gently stroke my cheek, "But I won't."

"What other choice do you have?" I asked, "Once your family hears of your mother's death they will come here looking for you and take you back with them."

"Not if they believe I died too," she said as she stood up.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"If they believed that I died with my mother then they wouldn't come searching for me," Kiemi explained, "I would be free to live my own life…with you."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked with concern, "I know how much you care about your family and doing this would mean that you'll never be able to see them again."

"Being with my family again would be nice and I will miss them greatly," she said with a smile as she caressed my cheek again, "But none of that would matter if you weren't there to enjoy it with me."

With that said she leaned in and gave me a soft, gentle kiss on the lips as the rain continued to fall on our soaked bodies. Once that was done, Kiemi turned and began to walk back to the house, settled on her fate.

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TBC


	14. Ch 13

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Mei Tao's body was buried in the grove near our house on the outskirts of the village Kiemi's empty grave right next to it. Word was sent to the Tao Family in China informing them of Mei and Kiemi's deaths at the hands of Shing and Jin Hu, the reputations of their families greatly decreasing as news of that spread throughout the country. Despite their violent profession, the Tao Family was greatly adored and respected.

"I am sure Chen Fai will do well as the head of the family," Kiemi said as we stood in front of her mother's grave.

"You never told me that he was to be the next head of the family," I said with a twinge of shock.

"He wasn't supposed to be," Kiemi said simply, "With the new law, there was one other before him."

"What happened to that person?" I asked with suspicion.

"Nothing important," Kiemi replied quickly.

"Kiemi," I said impatiently, "What are you hiding from me?"

"The new family law stated that the strongest of the generation would take over as head," Kiemi replied hesitantly, "For my generation…it was me."

"What?" I inquired, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Would it have mattered?" Kiemi responded, "My decision would have been the same whether you knew it or not."

"But you could have done great things," I protested.

"It doesn't matter now," Kiemi pointed out, "It's too late."

"No, it's not," I protested, "We could tell them we made a mistake."

"No, Hao…after they heard the news of what happened, the family reverted back to the old way where the eldest son is the chosen heir," Kiemi explained, "So you see, even if you managed to change my mind, it's too late."

It was then that I fully understood all that she had given up for our love. She had given up being the head of the family; the first female in the history of the Tao Dynasty no doubt.

_Is this what our love has to offer us?_ I pondered, _Nothing but broken dreams?_

"Don't feel sorry for me, Hao, because I don't," Kiemi said interrupting my thoughts, "It's what my mother would have wanted for me."

"What will you do now?" I asked.

"I think I know enough of herbs to continue what my mother and I were doing here," Kiemi replied, "That way I can at least pay your family back for letting me stay with them."

"You know you don't have to do that," I reminded her.

"I know, but I want to," was Kiemi's reply, "Besides, I have to gain your father's respect somehow."

"Don't waste your time on him," I said bitterly.

"Whether you like him or not, I still want his respect," Kiemi said, "I hope to be part of your family one day and for that to happen I want his approval."

For a while we just stood there staring into each other's eyes. I could see how important my father's approval was to her. Leaving the conversation at that, the both of us turned to her mother's grave and set down the flowers that we had brought for her.

"Ayame, a symbol of heroism," I said as Kiemi laid the flowers down, "For heraldry and royalty."

"Be at peace, mother," Kiemi added, "May you always watch over and protect us."

-#-#-#-

Soon forgetting about her former life as part of a prominent family dynasty, Kiemi did well to adapt to living in the village. The villagers were having trouble doing the same with her, though. But none of that mattered to Kiemi. Much like me, she had spent the majority of her life alone. And despite how the villagers felt about her, she never hesitated to help them whenever they needed it.

-#-#-#-

"This has been the worse winter we've ever had," my mother said with a little twinge of worry.

The wind made an eerie sound as it blew the falling snow about the area. Snow was not uncommon in the village, but this winter was greeted with an endless amount of snowfall that started as soon as the last leaf fell from the tree. It looked as if the snow wouldn't stop falling until the first flower of spring bloomed.

"If this keeps up, we'll run out of supplies," my father added, "The whole village will."

"What will we do then, if that happens?" my cousin, Yen, asked.

The winter weather was so harsh that it managed to destroy several smaller villages nearby; my cousin's being one of them. His house was in complete ruins and couldn't be fixed until the snow melted. His parents had sent him and his siblings to relatives who could spare room to wait out the winter in safety and warmth until the spring.

"We won't let it happen," Kiemi said with determination.

"What do you mean?" I asked inquisitively.

"We used to have winters like this all the time in China," Kiemi explained, "If it comes down to it, I'll go for supplies."

"No, it's too dangerous," I protested.

"Cheung will protect me, besides, what other choice do we have?" Kiemi countered, "The village can't withstand this storm for much longer."

"Why do you risk so much to help people who could care less about you?" I asked dumbfounded, "Those people would sooner see you die in this blizzard than help you."

"I'm helping them because it's what my mother would have done," Kiemi replied simply as she put on some warm clothes, "Show them some compassion, Hao."

"Why should I when they have shown none for us?" I said angrily, "They show us nothing but hate and fear."

"They fear and hate us because they do not understand us," Kiemi tried to explain. Then with an exasperated sigh she added, "We'll finish this when I get back."

"You're leaving now?" Yen asked.

"There's no better time than now before it gets worse," Kiemi said.

"At least let me come with you," I suggested.

"You're not used to this kind of weather, Hao," Kiemi pointed out, "You would only slow me down."

"She's right, son," my father agreed.

_There's a first_, I commented snidely to myself.

"Be careful, dear," my mother said as she opened the door.

"I'll be back soon," Kiemi said with a smile, "Don't worry too much about me."

And with that, she walked out of the door into the windy snow. Cheung was close by her side as we watched her trudge down the path and over the hills until she was out of sight.

"Come back to me safely," I said mostly to myself, "I love you, Kiemi."

-#-#-#-

"She's been gone for a long time," I said filled with worry, "She should have been back by now."

"Kiemi can take care of herself," Yen assured me, "I'm sure she's fine."

"I can still worry about her can't I?" I snapped.

"Asakura Hao, don't you talk to your cousin that way," my mother said sternly.

"I'm sorry, mother" I said apologetically, "I'm just worried about her."

"I know, Hao," my mother said sympathetically, "It's alright."

"I'm sure that even she can't go into town and back in this weather," my father added, "She may be a powerful Shaman but she's still human."

_I hope she's alright_, my father added in his mind, _I promised Mei I'd take care of her._

_He's actually worried about her?_ I thought to myself.

"Now I'm really worried," I said to myself.

As I looked out the window for any sign of my dear Kiemi, the snow began to fall even more, turning the harmless snowfall into a dangerous blizzard. Things didn't look too good for Kiemi. No matter how familiar she was to this kind of weather, she couldn't get back in that storm. This meant that she was going to be stuck out in the blizzard with no form of protection.

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TBC


	15. Ch 14

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"Kiemi, where are you?" I said to myself as I trudged through the knee-high snow that continued to fall.

After the blizzard had gotten harsher and heavier, I set out to find Kiemi and make sure myself that she was going to be fine. But that was easier said than done. I knew that Kiemi tended to take secret roads and paths into town so no one could follow her and I had yet to learn all of them from her.

"Which way could she have gone?" I asked myself.

A screech in the sky drew my attention away from the snow covered ground. There in the sky was a great bird with a misty, blue haze surrounding it.

"Cheung!" I called, "Where is she?"

Hearing my call and question, Cheung veered off to the left as I followed behind him as quick as I could. Cheung's mighty spirit landed inside a cave not too far from the path but it well hidden from sight. From where I was standing, a clear trail of wet tracks could be seen leading into the cave. Upon entering, I spotted a small fire and Cheung huddled near a figure in the corner of the cave.

"Kiemi?" I called softly.

"Hao?" she shivered, "Is that you?"

"What happened?" I asked with worry.

"You should not be here," she said frantically as she tried to get up.

"It's a good thing I am, or you would have died," I protested, "Now tell me what happened to you."

"I fell into the river," she replied, finding little strength to argue with me.

"What were you doing near the river?" I asked as I slowly approached her.

"It was the quickest way to town," Kiemi explained as she shook violently, "I thought the ice was thicker than it was."

"How did you get out?" I asked curiously, "And how did you find this place?"

"Cheung helped me out and found the cave when I started to shiver," Kiemi replied, slowly losing consciousness, "The water was so cold."

"I know, darling," I said comfortingly, "Let's see what we can do about that."

I left the cave briefly to go look for some firewood. It was a miracle that I managed to find dry wood in this weather. As soon as I got back, I piled the wood together and started a fire. When that was done, I slowly removed Kiemi's wet clothes and wrapped her in my thick cloak that I always wore over her shivering form; a light blush spreading across my already red cheeks.

"Does that feel better?" I asked as I rubbed her arms through the cloak, trying hard to look at only her face.

"I'm still cold," she replied weakly, still trembling with the cold.

"Then there's only one thing left to do," I said mostly to myself, my cheeks getting even redder.

Throwing another piece of wood into the fire, I slipped off my own clothing and slid under the cloak alongside her. I wrapped my arms around her shivering form and pulled her close to me, a thin cloth still wrapped around my waist to separate our naked forms.

"What are you doing?" Kiemi asked faintly.

"Your body temperature has dropped too low to keep yourself warm," I replied hesitantly as I avoided looking at her, "The only way to keep you warm is with my body heat."

As I explained to her what I had to do, I snuggled closer to her, rubbing her frigid skin to get her blood flowing a little bit.

"How does that feel?" I asked softly.

In response, Kiemi snuggled closer to me, resting her forehead and cheek against my bare chest. We stayed that way for a long time before the both of us drifted off to sleep, each ignoring the howling wind blowing outside.

-#-#-#-

I woke up with Kiemi still firmly pressed against me, her body once again back to its usual temperature. The sun was shining in through the opening of the cave. Assuming that the blizzard had passed, I laid there enjoying the beauty and quiet of the winter morning as well as the warmth of Kiemi's body against my own. It was a while later before Kiemi stirred from her slumber. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stretched her aching muscles in a cat-like manner.

"Is it morning already?" she asked while she stretched.

"I guess so," I responded, "How do you feel?"

"Better," Kiemi replied shyly as she snuggled back into my arms, "Warmer."

"Good," I said as I blushed from our lack of clothes and ample amount of contact between our exposed bodies, "I'm glad."

For a while, neither of us moved as we gazed into each other's eyes. I reached up to her cheek and gently caressed it. It was so soft and smooth, like silk against the skin. Feeling the warmth of my hand, she closed her eyes and leaned into it as her hand reached up to join mine. Her other hand rested on my bare chest as my other hand found its way to her exposed hip.

"We should make sure the supplies lasted through the night," she said suddenly, quickly pulling away from my warmth.

I laid there in confusion as she sat up to find her clothes. By then, her wet clothes that I had placed near the fire the night before were perfectly dry. I averted my eyes as she began to dress. When she was done, she quickly made some warm tea and handed a cup to me when it was done. As she handed me the cup, a stray hair fell onto her face. As I brushed the strand of hair out of her face, a small shadow appeared at the opening of the cave.

"What is it?" she asked, seeing the expression on my face change.

"It's a cat," I replied.

"How did it survive the blizzard?" Kiemi asked, turning to the mouth of the cave to see for herself.

"I don't know," I replied, a little bit curious myself.

Just then, said cat collapsed in a heap at the front of the cave. Kiemi rushed over to help it as I got dressed myself. By the time I was done, Kiemi had taken the cat over to the fire and was starting to prepare some food for it.

"He's so tiny and cold," Kiemi commented as she warmed up some more water.

"He must have been out in the blizzard for a long time," I said, "He looks frozen."

"What was he doing out there in the first place?" Kiemi asked.

"…He was abandoned by his mother," I replied, reading the cat's mind, "The only one of eight kittens to survive."

"How terrible!" Kiemi exclaimed, not bothering to ask how I knew that.

Kiemi gently lowered the cat into the warm bath that she had made. Taking a strip of cloth, she dipped into the water and started gently to stroke the cat with it. After a while in the water, the cat began to stir. It looked startled at first when it set eyes on us but it soon calmed down when it realized that we weren't going to hurt it.

"Does he have a name?" Kiemi asked as the cat relaxed under her soft strokes.

"…Matamune, I think," I replied, retrieving the answer from the cat's mind.

"We should take care of him," Kiemi said softly, "Give him a home."

"We cannot save every unfortunate creature we find," I said, remembering the fawn we found last spring that ended up dying of an illness.

"No, but we can try," Kiemi retorted with a grin as she held a piece of meat in front of Matamune who took it greedily.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," I said, knowing that my father would find a reason not to approve of it.

"He doesn't have anywhere else to go, Hao," Kiemi protested, "At least let us take him back to the village where he can stay warm and safe."

"Fine, we'll take him back to the village," I said with a sigh, unable to refuse her pleadings for long, "We'll decide what to do with him there."

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TBC


	16. Ch 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"We aren't leaving now, are we?" Kiemi asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

Hours had passed as the two of us cared for the frozen Matamune. He seemed content with all the attention we were giving him and soon grew to trust us almost completely. By the time I was packing up our things to leave, the sun was beginning to set in the horizon to which Kiemi apparently disapproved of.

"I don't see why not," I said uneasily at her tone, "The blizzard has passed and we've been here long enough."

"We can't go back now, not tonight," Kiemi nearly demanded, "We just can't."

"Why not?" I asked curiously, "What aren't you telling me?"

"Because tonight is the full moon," Kiemi said solemnly.

"Is this another secret of the Tao family that I don't know of?" I inquired.

"Possibly the biggest secret my former family holds," Kiemi replied.Then with a sigh she added, "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," I said skeptically.

"Tonight is the second full moon of the month," Kiemi explained with a sigh, "A Blue Moon as it is often called."

"So?" I asked, seeing no significance to that statement.

"Strange things seem to happen to my family during a Blue Moon," Kiemi explained, "That's how I was conceived."

"I thought you said it was a drunken night," I asked in confusion.

"It was, for my father any ways," Kiemi replied, "But, for my mother, it was because of the Blue Moon."

"I see," I said with a nod, "So, what will happen to you?"

"I don't know," Kiemi responded, "It is different every time it happens and I usually can't remember the next day."

"How long will you be effected?" I asked.

"Only for the night," Kiemi replied as she watched the sun set.

"Well, that shouldn't be long," I commented.

"Hao, you cannot trust anything I say this night," Kiemi said worriedly, "Do you understand?"

"I think so," I said hesitantly, "But I don't see what…"

All of a sudden, something strange came over Kiemi. It looked like she had a sharp pain in her stomach. Just as quickly as the pain had appeared, it was gone. But she didn't seem the same. Her eyes were not the usual innocent blue, but were instead were cold and tinted red.

"Kiemi?" I called apprehensively.

"I am the Great Prophet," she replied, her voice deeper than the one I was accustomed to, "I see all and know all."

"Prophet?" I questioned.

"I see the road you are traveling down," the girl I once knew as Kiemi said, "It holds so much death and sorrow."

"What are you talking about?" I asked suspiciously.

"Your dislike for the humans," she explained, "If you do not depart from that path now, you will bring nothing but pain for all those you care about most."

"Is that so?" I asked skeptically.

"You do not believe me?" the spirit asked.

"Do I have a reason to?" I said, "Kiemi said not to believe anything she says."

"This Kiemi that you speak of, I am not her," she said impatiently, "I am beyond the life of mortals."

As if to prove her point, a blast of light radiated out of her in every direction, throwing me back into the cave walls. And as if that weren't proof enough, the spirit began talking through the sleeping from of Matamune.

"You will receive three warnings," Matamune said, standing on his hind legs, "The first being bloodshed at the announcement of your unborn child."

At this, a shower of blood fell inside the cave creating a pool of red blood on the ground below the two.

"Then the stars will fall from the sky," the spirit continued.

Tiny star-like dots of light shot in every direction, some streaming straight towards me, exploding in a puff of smoke.

"Finally the moon will be swallowed by the great beast," the sprit concluded, returning to Kiemi's body.

All went dark as a gust of wind blew out the fire and the full moon seemed to disappear from the sky along with the stars.

"Heed my warnings before it is too late," the spirit said ominously, as the fire flickered on again.

"What will happen if I don't?" I asked.

"If you do not change your ways after the third warning, the earth will open up to swallow the souls of your wife and unborn child, never to be loved again," the spirit replied, "And never to love you again."

I shifted uncomfortably at her answer, but never took my eyes off of her white, glowing form.

"Do not forget what I have told you this night, Hao Asakura," the spirit said as the faint lights of morning began stretching across the sky.

With that said, Kiemi's body fell to the ground from exhaustion and the spirit that was possessing her was gone. Matamune woke up and gracefully walked over to her limp body and began rubbing against her in an attempt to wake her up.

"I guess you're worried about her too," I said to Matamune as I picked her up and carried her to the fire.

As I was laying her down, she began to awaken from her sleepless night. She slowly sat up and looked around the cave before finally setting her eyes on me. She looked at me with a worried look in her eyes, an unasked question beaming from them.

"Are you alright?" I asked respectfully.

"Are you?" she asked in return.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked nonchalantly.

"You tell me," Kiemi retorted, "I can tell that something's bothering you."

"Only the fact that I couldn't wake you after you fainted," I lied indifferently.

"I fainted?" she asked furrowing her brows in confusion, "But I remember saying something to you."

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it was just a dream," I continued to lie, placing a comforting kiss on her forehead, "But now that the full moon is over, we can make our way back to the village."

Without a word, I picked up my pack and exited the cave. Kiemi picked up her things as well and left with Matamune and Cheung trailing behind her.

_Can I trust what the Prophet said?_ I wondered to myself as we trudged through the snow, _Or will I really bring doom upon all that I love?_

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TBC


	17. Ch 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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Though we risked much in getting the supplies back to the village and its ungrateful inhabitants, the villagers still found it difficult to act kindly towards Kiemi. They still had a hard time accepting her. There was much animosity towards Yen as well. Having more Shamans in the village only increased their fear and hatred, which only resulted in enraging me even more. But Kiemi would not let my fiery temper fume for long. I would have retaliated on them long ago had it not been for her attempts to hinder my rage.

-#-#-#-

"I can't believe them," I said in my anger, "After all we've done for them."

After bringing back the supplies we had risked so much in getting, the villagers greedily took them without so much as an acknowledgement of thanks.

"Hao, please calm down," Kiemi said quietly.

"How can I?" I demanded, "We risked our lives to bring those supplies here and still they shun us."

"It is still no reason to get angry," Kiemi replied, "We did what was right and that's all that matters."

"She's right, Hao," Yen agreed, "Anger will do nothing but create more problems."

Mother and father had quietly settled in for the night. Kiemi and Yen would have been in bed as well had it not for my rants. They chose to stay up in hopes of calming me down before I exploded. Kiemi was sitting patiently at the table while Yen was quietly rolling an orange from one hand to the other.

"How can you be so calm?" I asked in disbelief.

"Staying calm is easy enough," Yen replied as he continued to roll the orange, "You should try this."

"And why should I?" I asked in amusement.

"It's very soothing," Yen replied with a smile. Then returning to the orange he added, "Funga fu fu."

"I'll never understand you," I commented as I watched him roll the orange about the table. Turnng to Kiemi I added, "Nor you for forgiving them so easily."

"The way I see it, the Great Spirits will deal with them when their day of judgment comes," Kiemi replied calmly, "Until then it is not our place to condemn them for their actions."

"I hope their punishment is slow and painful," I said bitterly.

"Please do not speak that way, Hao," Kiemi said with concern, "It scares me every time you do."

"I am sorry," I sighed, "But it is just so frustrating."

"I know, my dear," Kiemi said sympathetically. Then with a sigh she said, "It's getting late and we should go to bed."

-#-#-#-

The winter continued with little trouble from then on. But there was one tragedy that arose from it. Yen's family had fallen ill soon after he arrived to stay with us and resulted in the majority of them dying because of it. By the time word reached Yen, the rest of his siblings were scattered and lost as they tried to fend for themselves. Homeless and alone, my parents offered Yen a place to stay to which he accepted graciously, after some convincing of course.

"I would not have you take me in like a stray animal," Yen said proudly.

"I insist that you stay, Yen" my mother said, "You are family."

"I can take care of myself," Yen said, "I wouldn't want to burden you with another mouth to feed."

"Come on, Yen," I protested, "It's no trouble to us at all."

"Hao's right," Kiemi agreed, "If anything, you would be more of a help than a burden."

"It would be unwise to upset the lot of them," my father said playfully, "So, what do you say, my boy?"

"I suppose I have no other choice," Yen replied, "I wouldn't want them to tie me to the bedpost to keep me here."

-#-#-#-

There was still the matter of our other stray, Matamune. Kiemi still wanted to keep him, saying that he would be a good companion for me. I, on the other hand, found little use in having him around. But of course, Kiemi managed to get me to agree. And I must admit, he has proven to be very good company as Kiemi had predicted. He also proved to be a very strong and courageous beast.

It was during one of our trips to the village market that it happened. Kiemi and I were walking down the street when we were stopped by a small group of men.

"Look what we have here boys," the leader of the group said, "Two Shaman brats."

"What do you want, Reyu?" I demanded.

"I just want to have a little fun," the man named Reyu replied, "Thought, maybe Kiemi would like to join in."

"Leave her out of this," I said as protectively I kept her behind me.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Reyu asked mockingly.

Before I knew what was happening, a guy charged at me with a short sword in his grip. I only had time to push Kiemi out of the way and prepared myself for the blow. But that never happened because at the last minute, Matamune jumped in front of me and in the way of the sword.

"Cheung, barrier!" Kiemi commanded her spirit.

Her furyoku formed a blue, misty barrier all around us keeping us safe from Reyu's gang. All the while I checked Matamune of his injuries as he laid lifeless in my arms. Unfortunately, the blade had sliced one of his major organs.

"Matamune, are you alright?" I asked him, "Matamune?"

"It's too late, Hao," Kiemi said as Reyu's gang continued to attack the barrier she set up, "He's dead, there's nothing we can do for him now."

"No, there's still one more thing we can do," I said, refusing to give up so easily.

Ripping off the bear claw necklace that hung around my neck, I poured some of my furyoku into it and tied it around Matamune's collar. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I knew it was the right thing.

"Hurry," Kiemi warned me frantically, "My furyoku won't last much longer."

Nothing happened at first and I began to lose all hope. But then a red, misty haze surrounded Matamune's broken body. Slowly Matamune opened his eyes and rose from the ground. With his new found source of furyoku, Matamune easily helped drive away Reyu and his men with one wave of his hand. When they had all fled from fear or embarrassment, Kiemi and I both turned to Matamune in astonishment.

"He has an extra tail," Kiemi stated, unable to say much else.

"He's a spirit, now," I said, "He can look however he wants."

"And I can talk for my self too," Matamune added.

"I mean no offense," Kiemi said apologetically.

"Why can Matamune talk and Cheung can't?" I asked curiously.

"He can," Kiemi replied, "Cheung just chooses not to talk, at least not often."

"I've never heard him speak," I stated.

"That is because he only talks to me," Kiemi clarified.

"Oh," I said, understanding in my tone.

"So does this mean you're Hao's guardian spirit?" Kiemi asked.

"I believe it to be so," Matamune replied, never taking his eyes off of me, "But it is not entirely up to me to decide."

"I would gladly have you as my guardian spirit…if it is what you truly want," I said, unwilling to force Matamune to stay in this world.

"It would be an honor to serve you," Matamune said with a bow.

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TBC


	18. Ch 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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After seeing what the both of us could do, Reyu and his gang of followers decided to leave us alone, at least for the time being. For now, the winter was drawing to a close and, soon, the snow would melt. But for now, every thing was covered in a blanket of white.

"Now matter how many times I see this, I never grow weary of it," Kiemi said as we looked out onto the frozen lake, the sun just rising above the horizon.

"It is a beautiful sight," I agreed as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"What are you doing out here?" Kiemi asked, "You usually never wake up this early in the morning."

"I was looking for you," I replied, "I remember you saying how much you loved to watch the sun rise and set, especially in the winter."

"Spring will come soon," Kiemi said with a hint of sadness in her tone.

"When will you leave?" I asked.

"When the snow starts to melt," Kiemi replied, "By the time I reach China, the flowers will just be in bloom."

"I still don't see why you have to go back," I protested, "Someone could see you and tell your family."

"Only the plant from China can cure the illness that is going around the village," Kiemi reminded me, "I have to go."

"Maybe you should just let them die," I said bitterly, "They've done nothing to earn such kindness from you."

"Would you have me forsake the Shamans who have fallen ill as well?" Kiemi retorted, "It has already taken the lives of Yen's family."

"That was an unfortunate tragedy," I said, reprimanding myself for forgetting, "But they will be fine now that the winter is over…other Shamans will help them."

"You can hate the humans all you want, Hao, but I will not stand by and watch all the innocent die for other's mistakes," Kiemi sighed, trying to hold back her anger, "I would think that you would understand that."

"I do," I said regretful for my behavior, "I'm just afraid for you."

"I know," Kiemi said softly, "I promise I'll be careful not to be seen."

She stood there for a little while longer and then silently turned to walk back to the house. But there was something on my mind that I could not put off any longer. So I gently grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me.

"What are you doing?" Kiemi asked with a laugh, "Your mother will be wondering where we are."

"I just had one more thing to say," I replied after giving her a loving kiss, "A question to ask actually."

"This could not wait until we were inside and warm?" Kiemi asked, making me feel guilty for keeping her in the cold winter morning.

"You'll forget about the cold once I ask you this one question," I said, trying to hide the smile forming on my face.

"Then please, ask the question," Kiemi urged me.

Taking her cold hands in mine, I looked deep into her eyes as she awaited for the question to come.

"Kiemi, I was just wondering," I began, losing my nerve with each passing second, "If it's not to much to ask…would you marry me?"

"Is that it?" Kiemi asked with a laugh, "Is that what you were nervous about?"

"Well, yes," I replied, my confidence spiking up and down at her reaction.

"Hao, you fool," Kiemi whispered to me, taking my face in her hands, "Of course I will…all you had to do was ask."

The joy I felt at that moment was unlike any other I could imagine. Then, as if by magic, it began to snow. Flakes of white decorated her raven hair as I joyously brought her into my embrace.

-#-#-#-

The next week Kiemi left for China to find the herbs she needed to heal the sick villagers. She returned a few months later with the herbs and a boy named Boro from the north who was looking for work. When all that was done and everyone was well again, the two of us were wed. By that time it was the middle of spring and everything was in bloom. It was all perfect.

As a wedding present to Kiemi, I built a home, located right beside my parent's home, with Yen's help and my newly acquired mastery of the wood element.

-#-#-#-

"It's beautiful," Kiemi said in awe when she saw it.

The setting sun shining from behind the home and the blooming flowers scattered around it was the perfect setting to present the house to her. Though it was small, it had everything she needed.

"I can't take all the credit," I said, "Yen was a big help, though he relied more on my mastery of the wood element than I did."

"Since when did you master the element of wood?" Kiemi asked.

"The first time it happened was because I was angry and I couldn't control it yet," I replied, saddened my the memory, "It was back when I found out you were to betrothed to Jin Hu."

"Oh," Kiemi said simply.

"But while you were away in China, I was practicing," I quickly continued.

"Have you written about it in your book?" Kiemi asked.

"I was waiting for you to return," I replied sweetly, "I was hoping that perhaps you would like to help me write this part."

"I would be honored," Kiemi said happily, knowing that this was a great privilege.

Kiemi's smile was never ending. The sparkle in her eyes almost matched the twinkle of the stars. I almost felt sorry that I had to ruin it.

"I have another favor to ask you," I said to Kiemi.

"Name it," Kiemi said enthusiastically, "After giving me such a gift you deserve at least one favor."

"Well, Yen has grown weary of staying with my parents," I began to say, "Especially my father."

"Don't say another word," Kiemi interrupted, "Of course he can stay with us."

"Are you sure?" I asked, more surprised that she knew what I wanted to ask than her acceptance to it.

"He is family," Kiemi explained, "Besides, he's one of the few people you can stand to be around."

"I suppose so," I said with a laugh.

-#-#-#-

The years passed with little trouble. At the request of Kiemi, I added another room to the house for Yen and Boro to share. Boro had agreed to stay with us while he worked at the shop helping Kiemi with the herbs. It was later discovered that he was a very weak Shaman and soon became Kiemi's student.

It wasn't long before Yen also began to train under Kiemi's teachings, fearing that Boro would become better than he was. He would also occasionally lend a hand around Kiemi's shop. And since Boro was still too young to go hunting with me, having Yen there was a big help.

Word of our confrontation with Reyu and his group of men spread throughout the village. Afterwards, everyone seemed to leave us alone, out of fear I suppose. For the first time I can remember, I was at peace and enjoying my life. We were becoming a family, though I was hoping that Kiemi and I would soon start a family of our own. But despite all that, I could not forget what that prophet told me during the blue moon so long ago. I don't know why, but it stuck with me.

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TBC


	19. Ch 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"Have you gathered enough firewood yet?" my father asked me, "They say this winter will be the coldest yet."

It was late autumn and a light blanket of snow covered the ground. My father had been pestering me about gathering firewood since dawn and the sun looked to be already past noon. I didn't understand why my father was so intent on me gathering enough wood for the winter. Then again, he hadn't been the same since my mother's death this past summer.

A strange illness slowly took her health from her and she never said a word to us. It was my father who found her dead in their bed after being out in the field all day. Kiemi assured us that she felt no pain in her passing and I suppose that was some comfort to me. But my father truly loved her despite my suspicions about him and Mei Tao. He took her death the hardest.

"We have enough for now," I pointed out to him.

"For now?" my father questioned.

"If it'll make u feel better, uncle, I'll go gather some more later," Yen said as he was heading towards the shop, "In the meantime, Kiemi wants to see you whenever you have the time, Hao."

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen her at the shop lately," my father said.

"Kiemi hasn't been feeling well these past few days," I explained, "We think that she might have a cold."

"That girl is more trouble that she's worth," my father commented under his breath.

"Father, we've been through this," I protested, "After all these years, do you still not trust her?"

"Once a Tao, always a Tao," my father said in reply, "Even Mei could not escape their fate."

I wanted to figure out what he meant by that, but I had no time. My dear wife was more important that my father's suspicions. Besides, Yen had given said that Kiemi wanted to see me. So, ignoring my father's comments about Kiemi's family, we exchanged parting words and I left for my own home.

"Kiemi, I'm home," I called as I opened the door.

"I'm in here," came her reply.

"Where is Boro?" I asked, "I told that boy to stay here and help you."

"Cheung was here with me so I sent Boro out to help Yen take care of the shop," Kiemi replied, "Honestly, Hao, I wish you would just leave him alone."

"I'll leave him alone when he starts taking responsibilities for himself," I commented.

"He left his Aniu tribe up North to find work and support his family and he's more helpful around the shop than Yen is," Kiemi protested sternly, "I think he is responsible enough, for someone his age anyway."

"You wanted to see me, my dear?" I asked as I entered the kitchen, changing the subject before I regretted my harshness towards Boro.

"Yes, please sit" Kiemi replied sweetly, "There is something I wanted to tell you."

"Can this wait?" I asked politely, "Father is nagging me about gathering more firewood."

"This won't take long," Kiemi assured me, "And you might forget about the fire wood after I tell you this."

"Tell me what?" I asked as I sat down, the anticipation overwhelming me.

"We are going to have a new addition to our family," Kiemi replied as came up from behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused at what she meant.

"We're having a baby you fool," Kiemi clarified good-naturedly.

It took a while for me to fully understand what was just told to me, but the moment the realization hit me, I was up on my feet with excitement.

"We're having a baby?" I asked in eagerness, "That's wonderful!"

I jumped with delight and bliss. In all of the joy, I didn't notice the empty crate on the ground and tripped over it.

"Are you alright?" Kiemi asked with a laugh as she ran to my side.

"I'm fine," I replied heartily.

"Well, you can't be that fine," Kiemi said with a little concern, "You're bleeding."

Sure enough, when I looked down at my knee, a hole was torn in the pants and the exposed skin was bleeding.

"Now how did that happen?" I wondered out loud.

"Well, look, there's a lose nail on the crate," Kiemi said as she examined the crate, "Funny, I didn't see it before."

"_You will receive three warnings," _the voice echoed in my mind_, "The first being bloodshed at the announcement of your unborn child."_

"Hao?" Kiemi called.

"Huh?" I said, snapping out of my trance.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kiemi asked with worry, "You seem distant all of a sudden."

"I'm fine," I replied, "It's just a scratch."

-#-#-#-

"Get out, now!" came a shrill call from the local brewery.

Yen and I looked up in time to see a young man be thrown out of a nearby building along with his things. He was dressed strangely and looked different than anyone I had ever seen.

"Are you alright?" I asked as we rushed to his aid.

"I'm fine," the man answered as he gathered his things that were scattered on the ground, "I guess Shamans aren't welcomed here."

"Shaman?" my cousin questioned.

"Yes," the young man replied cheerfully. Then his mood changing instantly he asked, "Wait, you're not going to attack me too, are you?"

"No, of course not," I replied shaking my head and raising my hands at the thought, "You don't have to worry about that, we're Shamans too."

"Oh, well then, Ethylene Diethyl at your service," the young man introduced himself, "But everyone calls me Ethan."

"Hao Asakura," I introduced myself as we shook hands. Then gesturing over to Yen I added, "And my cousin Yen."

"Well, at least there's one decent person in this village who's willing to put up with a dowser," Ethan said with a cheerful laugh, "Or should I say two."

"Dowser?" I questioned, "What's a dowser, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, that's simple," Ethan said happily, "A dowser is a Shaman that uses objects such as a stick to locate things."

"What kind of things?" Yen asked curiously.

"Any old thing," Ethan replied, "Would you like for me to demonstrate?"

"That's quite alright," I said with a grin.

"Very interesting," Yen mused as he absorbed all the information.

"Would you like to come back to my home?" I asked impulsively, "I'm sure my wife would love to meet you."

"Well, I'd be honored," Ethan replied as he picked up his things, "Your kindness is much appreciated."

"I must ask though," I added, "What brings you here?"

"My profession brought me here," Ethan replied simply.

"And what is it that you do, Ethan?" Yen asked suspiciously.

"I'm a scholar from England," he replied with a smile, "I study the stars."

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TBC


	20. Ch 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"Well it's very nice to meet you Mr. Diethyl," Kiemi said as we sat down for some tea, "What brings a stargazer like you here to Japan?"

"There's supposed to be a rare occurrence here and I've come to study it," Ethan replied as he accepted the tea graciously.

"What occurrence?" I asked with interest.

"You will just have to see for yourself," Ethan replied with an air of mystery, "It will happen within a month or two."

"Why did you come so early then?" Kiemi asked.

"I have a tendency of finding trouble," Ethan explained, "In fact, I had a lot of misfortunes on my way here."

"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters," Kiemi said with her trademark smile and reassurance.

"Quite right," Ethan agreed with a sip of his tea.

"Where will you be staying until that time?" Kiemi asked after she passed out some tea cookies.

"Actually, I'm not too sure," Ethan replied agitatedly, "I was counting on staying in that inn when the owner threw me out."

"Anywhere in the village is out of the question," I pointed out, "No doubt word has spread that you are a Shaman so you won't be welcomed."

"Then you'll stay here," Kiemi interrupted simply.

"I beg your pardon?" Ethan asked in shock.

"You have no place to stay, we are Shamans and will not shun you," Kiemi explained simply, "You will stay with us."

"My wife is right," I agreed, "This is the only safe place you can stay."

"Oh, I couldn't," Ethan protested, "I would not want to be a bother."

"It's no trouble at all, I assure you," I said to Ethan, "We would welcome the company."

"You can stay with Boro and Yen," Kiemi added.

"Is Boro that boy with the blue hair I saw working on the back?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, that's him," Kiemi replied, "And you've already met Yen, so there should be no problems there."

"Hm," Ethan commented with a smirk, "This should be quite interesting."

"So you will stay?" I asked.

"Yes, I think I will," Ethan replied heartily, "Thank you for having me."

"You are much welcomed," Kiemi said warmly.

-#-#-#-

Ethan was the best guest one could ever ask for. He was always polite and willing to help when he was needed, especially when it came to Kiemi; never letting her lift a finger, if he could help it. He, like many others, grew very fond of Kiemi and her ways. So much so that he decided to stay a few weeks longer than he intended to make sure that she was as comfortable as possible with the baby that she was carrying.

"Thank you for helping me with this," Ethan said to me.

We were nearing the training grounds when the moon appeared from behind a cloud. Ethan had asked me where the best place was to look at the stars and I had gladly agreed to take him there, with assurance from Kiemi that she would be alright at the house.

"Thank you for allowing me to come with you," I said in return, "It's been a while since I had a chance to look at the stars myself."

"You're a fellow stargazer I take it?" Ethan asked.

"Since before I could walk," I replied, "But with Kiemi and the baby I've been busy with other things."

"When is she due?" Ethan asked hesitantly, thinking it too bold a question to ask.

"Late summer to early autumn," I replied without pause, "Only a few seasons and I will become a father."

"It's a wonderful feeling isn't it?" Ethan asked warmly as he began setting up his equipment.

"The best feeling in the world," I stated with gratification, "Do you have a family?"

"A wife and son back home in England," Ethan replied proudly with a nod, "Perhaps I can introduce them to you the next time I come to Japan."

"I would like that very much," I stated with a smile, "If only the humans would leave us to enjoy it in peace."

"What do the people here have against Shamans?" Ethan asked curiously.

"There is no justice to their hate, they just find it convenient to blame us for all their misfortunes," I explained, "If only they knew our true powers then they would treat us better."

"I had no idea you felt so strongly about that," Ethan said.

"They have plagued my family for too long," I added, "My patience grows short."

"And how does your wife feel about all this?" Ethan asked in a tone that made me feel a little guilty.

"She has a kind and forgiving heart," I simply reply.

"Then she will not like to hear you talk this way," Ethan pointed out.

"No, I suppose not," I agreed.

"Good, besides we need to be watching the skies," Ethan reminded me.

Once his belongings were set up, Ethan took out his crystal pendant tied to a string and closed his eyes in concentration. The pendulum swayed to and fro in the wind trying to find what ever it was that Ethan was looking for.

"So, what are we looking for?" I asked with interest, setting aside my feelings for the villagers.

"Anything out of the ordinary, I suppose," Ethan replied, his eyes still closed.

"Do large, bright streaks in the sky count?" I asked, shocked at what I was seeing.

"It most certainly does," Ethan replied with equal astonishment, opening his eyes to look up at the sky.

"What's happening?" I asked in confusion.

"It's a meteor shower," Ethan replied

"Meteor shower?" I questioned, unsure at what that was.

"It's like objects falling off a table," Ethan explained, "Only these objects make light as they fall."

"Like stars falling from the sky?" I asked, worried at what the answer would be.

"Well, yes, that's a good way of saying it," Ethan said, unaware of my reaction.

"_The stars will fall from the sky_," the spirit's voice echoed in my mind.

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TBC


	21. Ch 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"I had no idea," Matamune said in awe.

So far two of the three warnings that were foretold to me had occurred. Whether it was by coincidence or if it actually meant something was a mystery to me. But I began to worry all the same. Matamune, sensing my worry and stress interrogated me to a point where I had no choice but tell him all that happened that night.

"What am I to do, Matamune?" I asked my guardian spirit.

"Perhaps you should tell Mistress Kiemi what has been troubling you these past few days," Matamune suggested.

"And worry her?" I pointed out, "No, it would jeopardize the health of the baby she carries within her."

"She worries already about you," Matamune pointed out," The health of the baby is already in danger if not from her worry then from what the prophet told you."

"I can't tell her," I said sternly.

"Then perhaps you should change your ways like the spirit said," Matamune recommended, "It is for that reason alone that she troubles you."

"I have tried to forgive the humans for, Kiemi's sake as well as for my own," I said, "But every time I have come close to doing so, they find another way…it cannot be done my friend."

"I do not know what to tell you, Master Hao," Matamune said, "This is beyond my knowledge."

"I thank you for trying, Matamune," I said, "Perhaps an answer will come to me."

As we emerged from the forest after gathering firewood, I came across Kiemi, Yen, and Boro in the yard. Kiemi was in the middle of a Shaman lesson for Boro while Yen watched patiently. By the looks of it, poor Boro had almost had enough.

"You're still watching my weapon," Kiemi said as she swung her wooden sword, "Watch me, my movements will signal what I will do next."

"But how can I fight when you have a sword and I have nothing but a knife?" Boro asked holding up his wooden knife.

"You must learn how to use any thing and every thing to your advantage," Kiemi explained, "Turn your weakness into a strength."

"That may take a while," Yen commented with a laugh.

"Do you want another lesson today, Yen?" Kiemi snapped at Yen.

"No," Yen replied fearfully.

"Then I suggest you keep your comments to yourself," Kiemi said.

"Go easy on him, Kiemi," I said sympathetically, "He's only a beginner."

"The Shaman Tournament will be starting soon," Kiemi said, "I do not have much time like I did with you."

"I pity you," I said to Boro, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulders to which he only looked to the ground in defeat.

"That will be all for today," Kiemi said with an understanding smile, lifting his spirit greatly, "The sun shines brightly this afternoon…enjoy it."

With that, Boro bowed with respect and ran off towards the center of the village to find someone to play with. Yen ran after him to make sure he wouldn't get into any trouble. Though they didn't show it, Boro & Yen were the best of friends. It was hard for them not to bond when they both had a common fear of what would happen to them should the villagers find out who they were.

"It's a good thing no one knows that he is a Shaman yet," I commented as we watching them chase each other, "He might welcome the training."

"Hm," Kiemi simply said, a bit upset at the thought of Boro suffering at the hands of the villagers.

"I wouldn't worry about that though," I reassured Kiemi, "As long as he's careful not to use his Shaman powers he will be fine."

"I suppose you're right," Kiemi said, her mood lightening a little, "We'll have to worry about Yen, though."

"Yen can handle himself," I reassured her.

"Not when it comes to keeping Boro safe," Kiemi retorted, "He cares for that boy so much it clouds his judgment."

"Is that such a bad thing?" I asked.

"It is when they already suspect something," Kiemi pointed out, "The villagers already know who we are and now that we've taken in Ethan they will have more reason to suspect the boys."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes," I said trying to end the matter there.

"Hm," Kiemi said in agreement, feeling the need to change the subject, "What took you so long with the firewood?"

"Matamune was taking his time in helping me," I half lied, "He had other things on his mind."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Kiemi said, clueless to what I was hiding.

"Where is Ethan?" I asked, realizing that I hadn't seen the dowser since I had gotten back.

"I sent him out to the shop," Kiemi replied, a bit saddened, "Since not that many people come there anymore, I figured he would at least get a little peace to finish his study of the meteor shower."

"You will get business again," I assured her, "Once the flowers are in full bloom, they will come."

"I hope that you are right," Kiemi said as she watched Yen and Boro tackle each other, "We won't be able to last long with this kind of business."

"Things will work out in the end," I said as I comfortingly placed an arm around her shoulders, "You just have to let it happen."

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TBC


	22. Ch 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"Are you sure you're up to this?" I asked Kiemi protectively.

The entire household was following me through the forest as we made our way to the designated spot for our picnic. Ethan had mentioned it once to Kiemi when he was feeling homesick that it was a tradition to have occasional picnics at night as they indulged in his studies. He said that it made it feel more like a leisure activity instead of a job.

"Of course, I'm up to it," Kiemi replied with her usual Tao temper, "You haven't let me leave the house for a month."

"I can't be concerned with the well-being of my pregnant wife?" I asked lovingly.

"There's a fine line between concern and imprisonment," Kiemi retorted.

"Are we there yet?" Boro asked as he and Yen pulled the blindfolded Ethan along beside them.

"Just about," I assured him.

"What's all this -Ow!- about?" Ethan asked as the two young boys accidentally lead him onto a rock.

"Sorry," Yen said apologetically.

"Can I take this off yet?" Ethan asked despairingly, "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Don't worry Ethan," Kiemi replied with a laugh, "It won't be much longer."

It really was a lovely night to watch the stars. Lately, the nights had been clouded preventing Ethan from continuing his nightly observations. But tonight the sky was clear and the full moon was shining. Soon we reached the lake where Kiemi and I had spent many nights gazing at the stars. It was the best place in the entire village and the surrounding area to look up at the sky.

"Alright, Boro," Kiemi said to the excited Ainu, "You can take the blindfold off of him."

With extreme enthusiasm, Boro ripped the blindfold off of Ethan and watched as his eyes adjusted to the light and looked at his surroundings. The amazement in his face was all we needed to know that we did the right thing. The moment he saw the nicely placed picnic on the ground, his eyes lit up with so much joy.

"You're welcome," Kiemi said in response to his silent thanks, "Now sit down before the food gets cold."

"Great, I'm starving," Boro exclaimed.

"You're always hungry," Yen retorted as he playfully shoved Boro aside to get at the food, "Now move aside, the oranges are mine."

"Yen, be nice to Boro," Kiemi scolded, "He's younger than you are."

Boro smirked at Yen with triumph as Yen retreated slightly in defeat, but not before grabbing a whole bunch of oranges to take with him.

"What made you want to do this?" Ethan asked.

"You," I replied simply, "Of course it was Kiemi's idea."

"You looked so homesick talking about your family I thought we could ease the pain of being apart from them a little," Kiemi said, "After all, we're sort of a family ourselves."

"You are too kind," Ethan said taking Kiemi's hand and placing a gentle kiss on it.

"At least someone can find happiness here," I commented under my breath.

Kiemi heard me though and made sure I knew it by jabbing me sharply in the ribs with her elbow.

"Hao is right," Ethan said, "I can't see how anyone, especially Shamans such as yourselves, could stand to live here."

"We have our reasons," I replied with a tinge of sadness.

"So much of our past resides with this village," Kiemi replied solemnly, "I cannot bring myself to leave."

"And I cannot bring myself to make her," I added, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders, "Though I keep hoping that she will change her mind."

"You have as much a reason to stay here as I do," I heard her say under her breath.

"Though I love my mother dearly, not even she can keep me here," I said, "And I do not believe that she would want me to stay and raise my child here."

Ethan looked like he was about to say something when Boro came running up to us, filled with excitement as usual. He began tugging on the sleeve of Ethan's tunic. With a smile, Ethan squatted down to see what the little boy wanted.

"Ethan," Boro called.

"Yes, Boro?" Ethan asked with amusement.

"Look!" Boro said pointing up towards the moon.

We all looked up to see the full moon slowly disappearing behind a dark shadow in the sky. Though Ethan's face seemed calm, it did little to ease my mind.

"Ethan, what is happening?" Kiemi asked, turning to him.

"I don't know," Ethan replied as he remained staring at the moon in awe, "I've never seen anything like this happen before."

"It looks like a beast is eating the moon," Kiemi said, worry etched in her tone.

"_Finally the moon will be swallowed by the great beast_," echoed the prophet's words.

"Hao, are you alright?" Kiemi asked me, "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine," I lied, "But it looks like we'll have to have our picnic another night."

The trip back to the house was quicker because we didn't have to stop to wait for Ethan to recover from running into something, or better yet, being led into something by the boys. The entire time I didn't say a word. I could tell that Kiemi was worried about me. But still I said nothing. I made up an excuse about gathering more firewood for the week and rushed off into the forest before she could say another word.

"That was my final warning," I said aloud to myself.

"What will you do now?" Matamune asked, appearing out of nowhere as I attempted to look for wood.

"I don't know," I replied, "What can I do?"

"Perhaps you should tell her now," Matamune suggested again.

"No, I can't tell her," I said mostly to myself, "The baby."

"They are in danger whether you tell them or not," Matamune pointed out, "You have received all three warnings."

"Maybe nothing will happen," I said trying to convince myself that everything will be ok, "Nothing has happened so far."

"If you wish to believe that then be my guest," Matamune said, "But you endanger the lives of your wife and child by doing so."

"Are you my spirit or my mother?" I snapped, "I don't need someone else telling me what to do or what I'm doing wrong."

"But Master Hao," Matamune protested.

"I'll figure this out on my own," I snapped again, ending the conversation there.

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TBC


	23. Ch 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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"It is almost time for the spring celebration," my father reminded me.

Days had passed and still nothing had happened. I was starting to think that perhaps all that was said that night was just something created by her family's curse of the Blue Moon. She did say that strange things happen to her family during such a time.

"Yes, I know," I said irritated with his constant pestering.

"Then you know that we will need to hunt for the deer soon," my father said in his usual degrading tone.

"I don't have time to hunt for deer," I said, "Besides, Spring isn't for another few weeks."

"You will need the extra time since Yen won't be able to come with you this time," my father explained.

"Why not?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I will need him here to help me with things," my father replied, "Besides, he can help with taking care of Kiemi while you are gone."

_Since when did he start caring about Kiemi's well being?_ I thought to myself.

"I don't need Yen to catch a deer," I said simply.

"I suppose you can rely on that cat friend of yours," my father said not too nicely.

"His name is Matamune and he is my spirit," I corrected, "I trust him with my life."

"Fine, trust him if you must," my father said, "Just catch the deer."

"I don't see why we have to catch the deer at all," I commented, "The villagers certainly don't appreciate the time and effort I put in to provide them with such an offering."

"It has been our tradition to catch the spring deer for the village," my father replied, "It was one of the few things in this village your mother was proud of."

_So he means to play on my emotions_, I thought to myself, _Clever father, but what are your real intentions?_

"Fine I'll leave in a few days," I said, giving up on figuring out my father's plan, "That should be enough time to set things in order."

Besides, there's not much you can do in such a short time, I thought to

-#-#-#-

"You're avoiding me," Kiemi said interrupting my thoughts.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"Ever since the incident with the moon, you have been trying to find reason after reason to stay away from the house," Kiemi said, seeing through my act, "First you go to gather firewood, staying out all night to do so, and then you decide to go into town to stock up on supplies that we don't need."

"You over exaggerate," I said, keeping up my joyful façade.

"And now you decide to go hunting by yourself when you usually at least bring Yen with you," Kiemi added.

"You worry too much," I commented, brushing off her worried tone, "Besides, father said that he need Yen to stay here."

"Since when did you succumb to the needs of your father?" Kiemi asked suspiciously.

"We may have our disagreements, but he is still my father," I stated as nicely as I could, "I must respect him always."

"What is going on, Hao?" Kiemi asked, seeing past my act, "What is it that you're not telling me?"

"It's nothing," I answered brought her into a loving embrace as an attempt to calm her nerves.

"At least bring Ethan along," she insisted, "With his dowsing skills, you'll find a deer in no time."

"No, father made it clear that he wanted me to hunt alone," I explained, "Besides, I want him here to protect you in case anything happens."

"I will have the boys with me," Kiemi pointed out, "And what would I need to be protected from?"

"Nothing," I replied, putting on a convincing smile, "Still, it would ease my mind knowing that all three of them are here with you."

"I don't understand why you are doing this," she said softly with a sigh, "But you do nothing without reason, so I will say no more of it."

"I must go now," I said, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Be careful," Kiemi said after she gave me a kiss.

"I will," I said in return, flashing a reassuring smile, "I'll be back in a few days."

-#-#-#-

"You should not be here," Matamune said as I made my way through the forest in search of a deer.

The day had brought little luck in catching a deer for the annual Spring Celebration in the village. I had hoped to catch a deer before the first nightfall of my hunt. But every time I spotted a deer, it would run away before I even had a chance to grab a weapon to attempt to catch it. Matamune's reminder of my more pressing problem did little to lift my spirits.

"Don't you think I know that?" I snapped, "I can assure you that I would rather be at home where I can protect my wife and unborn child than out here hunting a deer for those ingrates."

"Then why aren't you?" Matamune snapped back, "Why are you wasting your time here then?"

"Because Kiemi would know that something was wrong," I replied.

"She already suspects something," Matamune pointed out.

"All the more reason not to confirm her suspicions," I countered, "Besides, Ethan, Yen, and Boro would never let anything happen to her…they care too much about her to let anything happen."

"I hope that you are right," Matamune said before he disappeared once again.

"You and me both," I said to myself.

Looking around the camp where I decided to stay for the night, I found little comfort for my worries. Realizing that it was going to be a cold night, I got up to find more firewood to last me until morning.

"I'm going to find more firewood," I said to Matamune.

"Would you like for me to come with you?" Matamune asked respectfully as he reappeared in front of me.

"No," I said as I grabbed a torch, "Stay here and keep an eye on the camp."

With that, I headed off into the woods, not really paying attention to where I was going, picking up various pieces of wood I came across. I wandered for so long that the next thing I knew I was at the edge of a cliff that bordered the forest. The moon was high in the sky telling me that half the night was over.

"I should get back before Matamune starts to worry about me," I said to myself, "If he hasn't already."

It was then that I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I got the sudden urge to run back to camp as fast as I could; something was wrong. But before I was even halfway back to camp, the ground began to shake. The tremors were so violent that I lost my balance and fell to the ground. It wasn't until the tremors were over that I managed to stand up again.

"What was that?" I said to myself as I got up.

That was when I spotted the large crack in the ground only a few feet away from where I was laying. It looked as if the ground opened up to swallow me whole.

"_If you do not change your ways after the third warning, the earth will open up to swallow the souls of your wife and unborn child…_," the echo said in my ear.

"NO!" I whispered with complete horror.

"Master Hao!" Matamune said as his spirit came flying through the forest, concerned with my safety, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Matamune," I replied without another thought, "We need to go back and check on the village."

It was then that a loud scream was heard across the forest. It sounded like it was coming from the village. There was a faint smell of smoke as well.

"Kiemi," I said with horror Matamune and I quickly made our way through the forest.

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TBC


	24. Ch 23

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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When I arrived in front of my house, it was engulfed in flames. Boro and Yen were standing outside looking as the flames grew with every passing second. Not far behind them was another crack in the ground, almost three times the size of the one in the forest. When I looked up from the ground, I spotted Ethan emerging from the flames with Kiemi in his arms, his pendulum dangling as lifeless from his hand as Kiemi appeared to be.

"What happened?" I asked frantically as I kneeled down beside her and took her bloody form in my arms.

"We were walking around town getting some fresh air," Ethan explained, "After the earthquake we rushed home and found it in flames."

"You were supposed to stay with her!" I shouted in anger, "How could you leave her alone?"

"We asked her to come with us but she didn't want to leave the house," Ethan replied with the same anger in his voice, "I knew something was wrong when we saw that the village was empty."

"Is she going to be ok?" Boro asked innocently, clearly worried about Kiemi.

"The villagers," was all that Kiemi could say.

"The villagers must have done this while we were out," Ethan explained, "That's why the village was empty."

"I don't understand," I said in confusion, "Why didn't father my come help when he saw the house in flames?"

"Hao," Kiemi whispered.

"Yes, my dear?" I asked, glad that she could speak at all.

"It was your father, Hao," Kiemi whispered to me, "He was the one who brought them here."

"My father was the one who brought them here?" I said in disbelief, "I knew he hated Shamans…but to do all this?"

It was then that it dawned on me about what happened. It all began to make sense now, why my father was so set on me going hunting alone. It was just to get me out of the way. He had planned on ending the line of Shamans in that village that night. But then why would he come when I wasn't there?

"He sent me hunting to protect me," I said unconsciously to myself.

"Hao, they cut the baby out," she whispered, interrupting my raging thoughts, "They said that she was a demon child."

It was then that I looked down at her broken body and saw the huge slash across her stomach, hidden beneath Ethan's massive hand. There was a puddle of blood pooling beneath her, staining the ground red.

"That's not true," I said in an attempt to comfort her, "Any child born from you could only be an angel on Earth."

"Hao, I'm sorry," Kiemi said to me weakly, tears streaking down her cheeks, blood streaming out of her mouth, "I couldn't protect her."

"You did everything you could," I said lovingly, "We can always have another baby."

"Hao, there will never be another child," Kiemi wheezed in pain, "I'm dying."

"No, you're going to be fine," I told her, more so to convince myself than her, "Just stay with me."

"I love you, Hao," Kiemi whispered softly as the tears from her eyes mixed with the blood on the ground.

"No, don't you do this to me," I protested.

In her last moments of life, she just looked at me and smiled her ever dazzling smile. It was a smile that always told me that everything would be okay. And though I took comfort in that smile, I knew in my heart that it would no longer be true.

Suddenly her body went limp and her face became blank. Her hand fell from where it was in my hand. Her bright, blue eyes turned into black orbs of nothingness. She was gone.

"Kiemi," I called in vain, "Kiemi!"

"It's too late," Ethan said solemnly as he took his hand away from the wound on her stomach, "We came too late."

"No, there is a way to bring her back, there has to be," I said, clearly in denial.

"She is dead," Ethan snapped, trying to get through to me, "I wish it were not true as much as you do, but it is."

"You may be willing to give up so easily, but I'm not," I said coldly as I lifted her off the ground.

"Where are you going?" Ethan asked, frightened of what I would do in this state, "Where are you taking her?"

"I suggest you leave the village while you still can," I replied emotionlessly.

"What's he going to do?" I heard Boro ask.

"I don't know, Boro," Yen responded.

"He's going to deal with those responsible for this," Ethan said, clearly concerned for my mental health.

"Then I think we should do what he says and leave," Yen said, taking Boro's hand.

Slowly, Yen took Boro and walked away from the burning mess that was our home; Ethan not far behind. Where they went, I don't know nor did I care; they no longer mattered to me.

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TBC


	25. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King…Hiroyuki Takei does...but I wish I did. That would be kick azz.

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Indeed, I made sure that all those responsible for what happened were dealt with. In a blaze of hatred I burned all who dwelled in the village. It was only fitting to kill them that way since it was how they decided Kiemi should have died. My father, of course, was first in line for the executions. It was then that I finally mastered my final element: fire. But I could have no joy in achieving it fore it was brought to me in much pain and cost me the one thing I could not live without.

-#-#-#-

I tried everything I could to bring her back. I even resorted to seeking the aid of a well known necromancer that went by the name of Faust. After months of traveling, I finally tracked him down to a small town in Germany. But not even he could not help me.

"I'm sorry," Faust said to me when I handed her to him, "I can't save her."

"But you are a necromancer, the best from what I've heard," I protested, "Why can't you bring her back?"

"I'm afraid it is too late for her," Faust explained, "She's been dead for too long, I can't bring her back."

"You will bring her back to me," I said sternly.

"Had you gotten her to me sooner, it would have been possible, but there is nothing I can do for her now," Faust said sympathetically, "I am sorry, but she is beyond even my skill."

"…Very well, you're only human after all," I said calmly, "And for that, you'll pay for your incompetence with your life."

And with that said, I destroyed Faust's establishment along with him. He is dead, killed at my hands. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last. Kiemi was lost to me. There was no longer a reason for me to keep my anger in check. She was everything to me; my guide, my companion…and she was gone.

She came to me in a dream not long after that. Her last attempt to save me I suppose. It was so long ago, but I still remember it so clearly.

-#-#-#-Hao's dream-#-#-#-

I was standing on the training field hidden in the forest surrounding my village. It was snowing; the ground was blanketed in white. But a soft, warm breeze was blowing so soothingly. And there she was. She appeared out of nowhere and was standing right in front of me, white garb covering her wondrous form.

"Kiemi?" I called softly, "Is that really you?" In reply, she smiled at me.

"Have you returned to me?" I asked, hoping that she would say yes.

But she didn't say a word. Her smile disappeared and she bowed her head in sadness. As a tear escaped down her glowing face, she shook her head. And as my heart broke in a million pieces, she looked at me and smiled sadly, reaching out and placing a hand over my heart.

"No matter where you are, I will always be with you, Hao," she said to me, "Never forget that."

And with those words, she began to fade away.

"No, wait," I shouted, "Don't go!"

Try as I might, nothing could keep her from disappearing out of my life once again. But this time I knew she was not coming back.

-#-#-#-Hao's dream ends-#-#-#-

I woke with a start, Kiemi's name on my lips. The dream was so real I almost expected to look around the room and see her wonderful face again. But she was not there, and I knew that she never would be. Her last words still rang in my ears.

"_No matter where you are, I will always be with you, Hao_," her voice whispered to me, "_Never forget that_."

"I won't forget, my dear Kiemi," I said tearfully, knowing she was watching me from where ever she was, "But the humans must pay for taking you away from me."

-#-#-#-

And so, my reign of destruction began. The humans took what was most dear to me and for that, they must pay. It has been a thousand years and still it pains me to think back to that day as she died in my arms. That is the reason why I do not look for a queen to reign beside me. No one could take her place; no one could come close to doing so. My followers do not understand but they are too afraid to question me. How could they understand that she meant everything to me; that my dark heart was breaking, knowing that she would never come back?

Even now, as I gaze into the glowing fire before me, my body aches for her memory, wishing that it was the warmth of her body that I felt instead of the emotionless warmth of the fire. And yet something inside of me can still feel her with me; her presence so near to my own. It was as if she were alive again, living and breathing once again; her soul yearning for mine just as mine did for hers. But that was an impossible thought. Only I know the secrets to reincarnation, so such a thought was ridiculous…wasn't it?

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THE END

**AN**: Well that's it, that's all I have. I've started on writing a sequel to this and I've been working on it for the past two years at least (I actually wrote this fic about three years ago). But every time I work on it, the writing and plot just doesn't seem right. And now the schoolwork is really piling on, taking away any spare time that I would usually devote to my writing. So I wouldn't get your hopes up on seeing a sequel in the near future if ever.

But it's been a great run. In all honesty this was the first fanfiction I ever wrote in my life and half time I had no clear idea where the plot was going myself. So it was great taking Hao's journey with you all. It's been a great year (because indeed this fic took a duration of a little over a year before every chapter was submitted). I appreciate each and every one of you who read and especially those who took the time to review. They kept me going. I really hope to write for you all again someday.

A special thanks goes out to **Morningstripe** and **Unawokendream**. You guys were there with me from the beginning and I just wanted to let the two of you know that it really really meant a lot to me to see your reviews on almost every chapter. Thanks for the devotion, I love you two for it.


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